Department for Transport

Cycling and Walking

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to update the CWIS walking stages target for the general population to take account of changes in methodology in the NTS.

Jesse Norman: All the aims and objectives set out in the 2017 Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy will be reviewed in due course as part of the Department’s work to develop the next phase of the Strategy. This work will take into account a wide range of factors, including recent changes to the way data on short walks is collected via the National Travel Survey.

Driving: Diabetes

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to publish updated guidance for the DVLA on the use of continuous or flash glucose monitoring devices for drivers with diabetes.

Jesse Norman: The Secretary of State for Transport’s Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on driving and diabetes mellitus has recommended that continuous or flash glucose monitoring systems may be used to monitor glucose for the purpose of driving. This is subject to appropriate guidance being in place to maintain road safety standards. The DVLA is currently in the process of drafting new guidance with the aim of publishing this in the New Year.

Motorways

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what date his Department last published non-compliance figures for one of its existing All Lane Running motorway schemes.

Jesse Norman: Highways England published evaluation reports for the first three years of the operation of the M25 junctions 5-7 and 23-27 all lane running schemes on 16 July 2018. This included information on non-compliance of red X lane closures. They indicate an overall red X compliance rate of 94% on both schemes, improved from 93% in the one-year reports. This was measured as a percentage of the total traffic flow during a sample of red X lane closures. Red X compliance is vitally important, and the majority of drivers obey the signals. Highways England continue to work closely with the Police to issue warning letters to drivers who fail to comply with a red X, as well as developing a range of customer information campaigns. Enforcement of red X violations using automated camera detection is planned to commence in 2019, meaning that anyone who drives through a red X will risk being fined.

London-Brighton Railway Line

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2018 to Question 178358 on London-Brighton Railway Line: Fares, what progress his Department has made on simplifying the fare structure for rail services on the Brighton main line.

Andrew Jones: The Department remains committed to developing and considering options to simplify the Brighton Main Line fares structure, and work is ongoing.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of High Speed Two.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: At the 2015 Spending Review (SR15), the Government restated the long-term Funding Envelope for delivery of the full HS2 scheme of £55.7bn (Quarter 1 2015 prices), of which £27.18bn has been set for Phase One and £28.55bn for Phase Two.We are determined to deliver HS2 within its total Funding Envelope of £55.7bn and have set HS2 Ltd cost targets which would deliver the programme below this amount.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Liverpool

Dame Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has plans for a new direct high speed rail link between Liverpool and High Speed Two; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Improvements to rail connectivity between Liverpool and Manchester are being considered as part of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project. Options include a direct connection from the HS2 line to Liverpool. Transport for the North is working closely with partners across the North to develop the strategic outline business case for NPR. This is an important milestone for the Northern Powerhouse Rail programme, and I look forward to receiving their advice in the new year.

Air Space

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the factors that contribute to airspace infringements in the UK.

Jesse Norman: There has been a significant focus over many years on this issue and the CAA continues to work with air traffic control providers, general aviation groups and other stakeholders to raise awareness and to reduce the risk of infringement. The main factors relate to pre-flight planning, but the CAA-led Airspace Infringement Working Group (AIWG) has recently conducted further work to identify causal factors, the results of which are currently being assessed.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Global Navigation Satellite Systems: Finance

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2018 to Question 198212 on Global Navigation Satellite Systems: Costs, what funds his Department has allocated to the proposed Global Navigation Satellite System.

Chris Skidmore: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has allocated £97 million in relation to the work to develop options for a UK Global Navigation Satellite System. This comprises the £92m for the Engineering, Design and Development Phase and £5m incurred on initial feasibility study work.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Libya: Conferences

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Action Plan set out by the UN Special Envoy to Libya in September 2017, what recent assessment he has made of the progress made by Libya on preparations for a National Conference in that country.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on the (a) proposed terms of reference of and (b) the delegates to be invited to the National Conference in Libya proposed in the Action Plan set out by the UN Special Envoy to Libya in September 2017.

Alistair Burt: We fully support the next steps in the inclusive political process set out by the Special Representative of the Secretary General in his briefing to the UN Security Council on 8 November and endorsed at the Palermo Conference on 12-13 November, including plans to convene a wide range of Libyan stakeholders at a National Conference in early 2019. The Special Representative has said the National Conference will aim to secure agreement on key issues relating to Libya's political transition, including the constitutional basis for elections, the sequencing and model of elections, and the equitable distribution of resources. We continue to engage with the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on preparatory work for the National Conference; involving delegates who represent a broad spectrum of Libyan society will be a key factor in its success.

Human Rights

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, who the UK Government plans to represent it at the high level plenary session on human rights defenders at the UN General Assembly on 17 December 2018.

Mark Field: ​The UK will be represented at Ambassadorial level at the High Level meeting to mark the 20th Anniversary of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.

Human Rights

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will publish the Government's guidelines on working with human rights defenders.

Mark Field: In November 2017 the then Foreign Secretary issued a revised version of the UK Guidelines on Working with Human Rights Defenders to the diplomatic network. The premise is for the Guidelines to be used depending on the local context, as no two countries or human rights situations are the same. Where appropriate this might involve making public statements, attending trials, or working privately with the host government. We believe this approach is already working well, but are considering the best way of sharing the substance of the guidelines with human rights defenders and interested NGOs.

Burma: Crimes against Humanity

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to seek accountability for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity against Kachin and Shan ethnic groups in northern Burma as well as genocide against the Rohingyas.

Mark Field: The UK played a leading role in securing the UN Human Rights Council Resolution of 27 September that established a mechanism to collect and preserve evidence of human rights violations in Burma for use in future prosecutions. The UK also ensured that the Chair of the UN Fact Finding Mission on Myanmar was invited to brief the UN Security Council on 24 October on its damning report on human rights violations and abuses in Rakhine, Shan and Kachin since 2011. The UK co-sponsored the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee Resolution which was passed on 15 November and called for a full and independent investigation of human rights violations and abuses committed in Burma including against persons belonging to minority groups to ensure that those responsible for such crimes are held accountable.

Burma: Humanitarian Aid

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he is making to the Government of Burma to seek unhindered and unrestricted access for international humanitarian aid to the internally displaced peoples in Kachin and Shan states of northern Burma.

Mark Field: The UK played a leading role in securing the UN Human Rights Council Resolution on Burma of 27 September that called for immediate, safe and unhindered humanitarian access, including to areas controlled by ethnic armed groups, in particular in Kachin and Shan states. I raised concerns about the Burmese military’s conduct in Kachin and Shan states to the Burmese Minister for International Cooperation on 11 July. Our Ambassador raised the importance of ensuring humanitarian access in his meeting with the Chief Minister of Kachin State on 3 December.​

Selahattin Demirtas

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Turkish counterpart on the continued detention of Selahattin Demirtas in violation of an order of the European Court of Human Rights for his release.

Sir Alan Duncan: We have not made representations about the detention of Selahattin Demirtas since the European Court of Human Rights ruling, though we have followed his case and made a number of attempts to observe his trials. We have repeatedly raised with the Turkish authorities the need for any legal processes, including those against MPs, to be conducted fairly, transparently and with full respect for the rule of law.

Selahattin Demirtas

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the order of the European Court of Human Rights of 20 November 2018 for the release of Selahattin Demirtas by the Turkish authorities, what recent assessment he has made of the prospects for his release.

Sir Alan Duncan: We are aware that the courts in Turkey have just approved a prison sentence for Mr Demirtas of 4 years and 8 months on unrelated charges, making it unlikely that the recent order for his release will be enacted quickly by the Turkish government. We remain clear in our expectation that Turkey lives up to its international obligations and conducts any judicial process fairly, transparently and with full respect for the rule of law.

Cameroon: Conferences

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Cameroonian counterpart on the decision by the Government of that country to refuse authorisation for the Anglophone General Conference which had been planned for 21-22 November 2018; and what information his Department holds on the reasons for that decision.

Harriett Baldwin: ​The UK supports calls for the Government of Cameroon to engage in a substantive dialogue with the Anglophone community to tackle the crisis in the Anglophone regions. In this regard we welcome the initiative of the Anglophone General Conference and those put forward by a range of religious groups to promote an inclusive process of national dialogue that addresses the core issues. The UK is deeply concerned at the deteriorating violence and displacement of civilians in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon. It is vital the Government of Cameroon urgently initiates a meaningful dialogue.

Eritrea: Political Prisoners

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of the total number of political prisoners in Eritrea.

Harriett Baldwin: The British Government has made no recent estimate of the total number of political prisoners in Eritrea, but we remain concerned at the use of arbitrary detention as a means to limit freedom of expression and freedom of religion or and belief in Eritrea. I expressed these concerns directly to the Eritrean Foreign Minister when we met in September, as well as our hope that positive developments in the region will lead to improvements in the human rights situation in Eritrea.

Eritrea: National Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in Eritrea on (a) ending forced conscription and (b) demobilising those currently subject to forced conscription in that country.

Harriett Baldwin: I raised the UK's concerns on the human rights situation in Eritrea directly with the Eritrean Foreign Minister when I met him in September, including the length and breadth of National Service. I expressed our hope that positive developments in the region will lead to reform of National Service and improvements in the human rights situation in Eritrea.

Eritrea: Christianity

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in Eritrea on the persecution of members of Christian denominations banned by the Government of that country.

Harriett Baldwin: I raised the UK's concerns on the human rights situation in Eritrea directly with the Eritrean Foreign Minister when we met in September, as well as our hope that positive developments in the region will lead to improvements in human rights in Eritrea. We are concerned by the detention of individuals and groups from proscribed religious groups, and senior individuals from religious organisations.

Ukraine: Navy

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in Russia on the detention and prosecution of Ukrainian sailors taken into custody off the Crimean peninsula on 25 November 2018.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign Office has raised this issue with the Russian Government. On 30 November alongside G7 Foreign Ministers, the Foreign Secretary publicly called on Russia to release the 24 detained Ukrainian servicemen and their vessels. We have also repeatedly made clear to senior Russian officials, bilaterally and through multilateral fora, that the Russian authorities must immediately release the crew, return their vessels and allow unhindered access through the Kerch Straits. The Foreign Secretary reaffirmed the UK's solidarity with Ukraine and discussed the welfare of the detained crew during his 29 November call with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Klimkin.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the conclusion of the US-led joint declaration on the export and subsequent use of armed or strike-enabled UAVs, what steps the Government taking to develop those standards.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK signed a 'Joint Declaration on the Export & Subsequent Use of Armed or Strike-Enabled Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)' on 5 October 2016, along with 52 other States. The UK already has a robust set of export controls in place in relation to UAVs. Following the Joint Declaration, we are in discussion with a number of countries about developing a set of international best practice standards regarding the export of armed or strike-enabled UAVs. These discussions are continuing; it is not yet clear when they will conclude.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the follow-on process to develop international best practice standards stemming from the US-led joint declaration on the export and subsequent use of armed or strike enabled UAVs, what the Government’s main goals are; and which international partners the Government is working with.

Sir Alan Duncan: The US is leading the process to develop possible international best practice standards in this area. We are concerned by the possible misuse of armed and strike-enabled UAVs and welcome the initiative. The UK already has a robust set of export controls in place. We would like to ensure that any future best practice standards are consistent with, and add value to, existing multilateral export control and non-proliferation regimes, and encourage the maximum possible compliance.

South Sandwich Islands: Marine Protected Areas

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the Government plans to designate a marine reserve around South Sandwich Islands.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the timeframe is for the designation of a marine reserve around South Sandwich Islands.

Sir Alan Duncan: As outlined in Westminster Hall Debate of 12 December: The Commissioner for South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands announced, on 12 December, a suite of environmental enhancements to the existing Marine Protected Area, which take into account recommendations of the recent concluded first five-year review of the Territory's MPA.

Mediterranean Sea: Rescue Services

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Italian counterpart on the Italian Government's policy towards search and rescue ships in the Mediterranean.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​Her Majesty's Government has discussed policy towards search and rescue ships in the Mediterranean with the Government of Italy, both bilaterally and in co-operation with EU partners to find a sustainable solution to the issue.

Saudi Arabia: Conferences

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which Government officials attended the future investment initiative conference in Saudi Arabia in October 2018.

Alistair Burt: ​As the Prime Minister said on Wednesday 24 October, no Ministers or government officials attended the Future Investment Initiative Conference.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Integrity Initiative

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December to Question 196177 on Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Integrity Initiative, whether that funding is allocated from the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund; and what estimate he has made of the contribution of official development assistance to the (a) integrity initiative and (b) Institute for Statecraft.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s support for the Integrity Initiative is CSSF funded. However, none of this work has been undertaken using Official Development Assistance (ODA) money.

Julian Assange

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Ecuadorian counterpart on Mr Julian Assange.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​I have spoken with the Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Jose Valencia on three occasions since his appointment on 12 June 2018. We have discussed a range of bilateral matters including the Assange issue.

Nicaragua: Human Rights

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of human rights protections in Nicaragua.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The UK remains deeply concerned about human rights protections in Nicaragua and continues to support the work of the UN and OAS. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) statement of 6 December denounced the establishment of a police state in Nicaragua, characterised by daily violations of human rights, suppression of fundamental freedoms, constant climate of fear and intimidation against human rights defenders and lack of due process and access to justice. On 22 November, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported 586 political prisoners, and we are alarmed by reports of ill-treatment of these prisoners. The UK supports the call from the OHCHR for the authorities to immediately end repression of those who speak out against the Government and we call on the Nicaraguan Government to safeguard the life, physical integrity and health of the people in their custody.

China: Religious Freedom

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Chinese Government on their treatment of ethnic minority Uighur Muslims.

Mark Field: We have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the Chinese Government’s deepening crackdown; including credible reports of re-education camps and widespread surveillance and restrictions targeted at ethnic minorities.During China’s Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council on 6 November, the UK made a statement which described our concern about the treatment of ethnic minorities in China, including Uyghurs. We issued a specific recommendation, calling on China to implement the recommendations by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on Xinjiang, and to allow the UN to monitor the implementation. We also raised our concerns about Xinjiang in our Item 4 statement at the September UN Human Rights Council, and we supported the statement of 26 October by the European External Action Service highlighting concerns about Xinjiang.I raised our concerns about Xinjiang with Vice Minister Guo Yezhou during my visit to China on 22 July 2018. The Foreign Secretary also raised this issue with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his visit to China on 30 July 2018.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: EU Law

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many in-flight files of EU legislation exist that effect the policy areas managed by his Department; and which in-flight files of EU legislation his Department intends to implement in UK law.

Chris Heaton-Harris: During the time-limited implementation period, EU law will continue to apply in the UK subject to the terms set out in the Withdrawal Agreement.After the implementation period, all laws in the UK will be passed by our elected representatives in Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh and London. The Political Declaration recognises that the UK may choose to align with the EU’s rules in relevant areas to facilitate trade in goods or security cooperation.In the unlikely event that the backstop were to come into effect, a small fraction of EU rules applying today would apply in Northern Ireland and EU rules on state aid would apply in the UK. However, as the Withdrawal Agreement and the Political Declaration make absolutely clear, we do not want or expect the backstop to be needed - and even if it ever were ever to come into effect, it would be strictly temporary.The Official Journal of the European Union publishes upcoming EU legislation for implementation. This is publicly available online: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/oj/direct-access.html.

Brexit

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the House of Commons Library Briefing Paper, Brexit questions in national and EU courts, Number 8415, published on 6 December 2018, what estimate he has made of the total cost to the public purse of the Government's legal action in Brexit-related cases.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Brexit related cases are ongoing and handled by a range of departments across Whitehall depending on the subject matter relating in part or in total to Brexit. The Government Legal Department (and the Office of the Advocate General for matters in Scotland) is responsible for billing departments as clients for litigation services. DExEU does not therefore hold an estimate of the totality of the costs associated with Brexit related cases across Government.

Department of Health and Social Care

Health Services: Learning Disability

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to NHS England of the treatment of patients with (a) learning disabilities and (b) autism in assessment and treatment units in each year since 2010.

Caroline Dinenage: The information requested is not held centrally.

Tobacco: Labelling

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the analysis his Department undertook to determine the cost to business of changing the picture warnings on tobacco products in the event of the UK's departure from the EU without an agreement.

Steve Brine: The Department has no plans to publish its analysis of the cost to business of changing the picture warnings as the data is unvalidated.

Tobacco: Labelling

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of whether the UK can continue to use the EU library for picture warnings on tobacco products in the event the UK leaves the EU without a deal; on what date his Department discussed the potential for a future image licensing agreement with the EU; how much such a proposal will cost; and if he will publish relevant correspondence on that matter.

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the agreed cost is of the image licensing agreement reached with the Australian Government on the use of that country's picture warnings on tobacco products in the event the UK leaves the EU without an agreement; on what date his Department first discussed the potential for a future image licensing agreement with the Australian Government; and if he will publish relevant correspondence on that matter.

Steve Brine: The United Kingdom would be unable to continue to use the European Union library for picture warnings in tobacco products in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal. Securing the continued use of these pictures is a subject which can only be discussed as part of the future relationships phase of the EU exit negotiations. The Department holds no cost information or correspondence on this matter. However, the UK Government has reached an agreement with the Australian Government to license the latter’s picture warnings for tobacco products at no cost, in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal. The Department first discussed a potential agreement relating to picture warnings with the Australian Government on 19 April 2018. We are unable to provide copies of the relevant correspondence as this is confidential information between the United Kingdom and another State.

Social Services

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2018 to Question 196217 on Social Services, whether he plans to publish his green paper before 31 December 2018.

Caroline Dinenage: An ageing society means that we need to reach a longer-term sustainable settlement for social care and we recognise that parliamentary colleagues will wish to engage thoroughly in the debate following publication. Therefore, given wider events, we will be publishing the Adult Social Care Green Paper at the earliest opportunity in the new year.

Schools: Fruit and Vegetables

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations he has received on the quality of fruit and vegetables available in the school fruit and vegetable scheme.

Steve Brine: The Department ensures that the fruit and vegetables used in the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme meet strict quality standards. In the last year only one representation has been received, on behalf of one individual school, about the quality of produce used in the Scheme. The Department ensured that NHS Supply Chain, who operate the Scheme on the Department’s behalf, dealt with the issue speedily.

Parkinson's Disease

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data he holds on the treatments available for people with Parkinson’s disease in each region of the UK.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that people with Parkinson’s disease in each region of the UK are offered the full range of available treatments.

Steve Brine: NHS England commissions the specialised elements of Parkinson’s care that patients may receive from 25 specialised neurological treatment centres across England. NHS England has published a service specification setting out what providers must have in place to deliver specialised neurological care. This supports equity of access to high quality services for patients wherever they live. The specification can be found at the following link: www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/npc-crg/group-d/d04/ The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance ‘Parkinson’s disease: Diagnosis and management in primary and secondary care’, updated in 2017, sets out best practice for clinicians in the identification and treatment of Parkinson’s disease in line with the latest available evidence.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many eligible gay and bisexual men have completed the human papillomavirus vaccine programme.

Steve Brine: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination uptake and completion data to end March 2017, published in an evaluation report on the first year (2016/17) of the pilot, showed that 8,580 of 18,875 eligible men who have sex with men had received the first of a three dose vaccination course, and 519 had already received all three doses. The report can be viewed at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/678987/HPV_msm_year1_evaluation_report.pdf Updated data to end March 2018 will be published in early 2019.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans for a catch-up programme for all boys up to the age of 18 to access the human papillomavirus vaccine.

Steve Brine: There are no plans for a catch-up programme for older boys as evidence suggests they are already benefitting greatly from the substantial herd protection which has built up from the success of 10 years of the girls’ human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme. The priority is to make sure that as many eligible 12-13 year old boys and girls, are offered protection from HPV infection from September 2019.

Eating Disorders

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps NHS England is taking to (a) raise public awareness of the symptoms of eating disorders and (b) encourage people that may have an eating disorder to seek help from a GP.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This Government recognises the importance of raising awareness and reducing stigma so that more people feel able to talk about their mental health, including eating disorders, and seek treatment. In January 2017, the Prime Minister committed to having mental health first aid training available to secondary schools, aiming to have trained at least one teacher in every secondary school by 2020 and to all primary schools by 2022. This Government has also provided grant funding to the Time to Change national mental health anti-stigma campaign since 2012. Time to Change works with people with experience of mental health problems, including eating disorders, to challenge stigma and to improve social attitudes towards mental health. Time to Change’s website provides information and guidance about eating disorders and provides signposts and links to organisations that can help. This information is available at the following link: https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/about-mental-health/types-problems/eating-disorders The Government has also committed to equip one million people to be better informed to look after their own mental health, so Public Health England is currently leading the development of a £15 million national mental health campaign called ‘Every Mind Matters’.

Pregnancy: Mental Health Services

Helen Whately: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that women and their partners are able to access the leaflets recently developed by the Royal College of Psychiatrists to provide evidence-based and expert advice on perinatal mental health services.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England has worked closely with the Royal College of Psychiatrists to promote these leaflets widely to organisations and services that work with families during the perinatal period. The full content of the leaflets is available digitally to the public on the Royal College of Psychiatrists website. More information can be found at the following link: https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/news-and-features/latest-news/detail/2018/11/19/new-mental-health-guidance-launched-for-mothers-to-be-and-new-mothers Information on perinatal mental health is also available on the NHS website at the following link: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/mental-health-problems-pregnant/

Psychiatric Patients: Death

Helen Whately: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Mental Health Trusts have guidance and support to learn from deaths in the NHS.

Caroline Dinenage: In March 2017, the National Quality Board published ‘National Guidance on Learning from Deaths’. The guidance sets out how National Health Service acute, mental health and community trusts should review, investigate and learn from the deaths of patients in their care, and gives particular emphasis to the deaths of individuals who had a learning disability or mental illness. To supplement the national guidance, on 22 November 2018 the Royal College of Psychiatrists published guidance specifically for mental health trusts to ensure that opportunities are not missed when reviewing the deaths of patients who had a severe mental illness. The guidance, including a mortality review tool, was commissioned by NHS England and is a key output of the Government’s national Learning from Deaths programme. The guidance is available at the following link: https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/improving-care/campaigning-for-better-mental-health-policy/care-review-tool-for-mental-health-trusts

Surgical Mesh Implants

Paul Masterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made on the establishment of a comprehensive database of mesh implants.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP), commissioned by the Department, has recently held two workshops which explored the scope of the three existing mesh databases maintained respectively by the British Association of Urological Surgeons, the British Society of Urogynaecologists, and the Pelvic Floor Society, and what needs to be done to establish a comprehensive database. Participants in the workshops have included representatives from devolved administrations, and from campaign groups. HQIP will now produce a report with recommendations on next steps.

Surgical Mesh Implants: Databases

Paul Masterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the devolved Administrations on the potential establishment of a mesh database on a UK-wide basis.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP), commissioned by the Department, has recently held two workshops which explored the scope of the three existing mesh databases maintained respectively by the British Association of Urological Surgeons, the British Society of Urogynaecologists, and the Pelvic Floor Society, and what needs to be done to establish a comprehensive database. Participants in the workshops have included representatives from devolved administrations. Departmental officials also keep in regular contact with counterparts in the devolved administrations. HQIP will now produce a report with recommendations on next steps.

General Practitioners

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2018 to Question 188904, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the voluntary erasure code in cases where a GP is under investigation.

Stephen Hammond: The Department has no plans to assess the adequacy of the General Medical Council’s (GMC) voluntary erasure code in cases where a general practitioner (or any other doctor) is under investigation. As the independent regulator of doctors in the United Kingdom the GMC sets the standards all doctors must follow to practise in the UK. It is responsible for how it discharges its statutory duties, including the processes for considering applications for voluntary erasure as set out in legislation.

General Practitioners: Easington

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will introduce an incentive scheme to attract GPs to Easington constituency.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of GPs that plan to retire in Easington constituency in the next five years.

Steve Brine: The Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme is a national incentive scheme which funds a £20,000 salary supplement to attract general practitioner (GP) trainees to work in areas of the country where GP training places have been unfilled for a number of years. 238 trainees entered the scheme in 2016 and 2017. 265 places were made available in 2018 and a further 276 are available for 2019. In 2018, there were 33 places available on the scheme in Durham and North Yorkshire and in 2019, a further 33 places have been made available in Rural and Coastal Durham and North Yorkshire. These figures are not available broken down by constituency. No estimate has been made for the number of GPs due to retire in the next five years in the Easington constituency as there is not a mandatory retirement age for GPs.

General Practitioners: Recruitment

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a GP university tuition fee remission scheme for newly trained GPs working in areas with a shortage of GPs.

Steve Brine: There are currently no plans to assess the potential merits of introducing a general practitioner (GP) university tuition fee remission scheme. NHS England and Health Education England (HEE) are working together with the profession to increase the GP workforce. This includes measures to boost recruitment, address the reasons why GPs are leaving the profession, and encourage GPs to return to practice. To encourage GPs to work in areas of the country identified as hard to recruit, NHS England and Health Education England have funded the Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme. The scheme funds a £20,000 salary supplement for GP trainees who commit to spending their three years of speciality training in areas of the country where GP training places have been unfilled for a number of years. There were 122 places in 2016, 144 in 2017 and 265 in 2018. In 2019 a further 276 places are being made available.  The independent General Practice Partnership Review, led by Dr Nigel Watson, which is due to report in early 2019, has given consideration to how to ensure general practice and the partnership model remain attractive for early-career GPs, including the provision of incentives such as additional development opportunities and support for this group. The interim report of the review is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gp-partnership-review-interim-report

General Practitioners: Vacancies

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to encourage GPs to relocate to areas with a GP shortage; and what steps he is taking to improve working conditions in those areas.

Steve Brine: NHS England and Health Education England (HEE) are working together with the profession to increase the general practitioner (GP) workforce. This includes measures to boost recruitment, address the reasons why GPs are leaving the profession, and encourage GPs to return to practice. To encourage GPs to work in areas of the country identified as hard to recruit, NHS England and Health Education England have funded the Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme. The scheme funds a £20,000 salary supplement for GP trainees who commit to spending their three years of speciality training in areas of the country where GP training places have been unfilled for a number of years. There were 122 places in 2016, 144 in 2017 and 265 in 2018. In 2019 a further 276 places have been made available.

Department of Health and Social Care: Babylon Health

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of contracts his Department has with Babylon Healthcare.

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not hold any contracts with Babylon Healthcare Ltd.

Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of cases related to EHIC fraud that were (a) investigated, (b) determined to be a probable case of fraud and (c) determined to be a definite case of fraud by the NHS Counter Fraud Authority in each year since 2015.

Stephen Hammond: The following table shows the number of European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) fraud case referrals investigated to determine whether a potential fraud has occurred and the number of these referrals determined to be potential fraud cases. YearEHIC fraud case referralsReferrals determined to be potential fraud cases2015-16902016-17802017-182632018-19110 These activities are undertaken by the Department’s Anti-Fraud Unit, rather than the NHS Counter Fraud Authority. This is because payments relating to EHIC are paid by the Department, not the National Health Service.

Department of Health and Social Care: Interserve

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the value of contracts held by his Department with Interserve.

Stephen Hammond: The Department has no contracts itself with Interserve.

Department of Health and Social Care: Interserve

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the financial health of Interserve.

Stephen Hammond: Interserve is an organisation identified by the Cabinet Office as a Strategic Supplier to the Government and as such is closely monitored by them via the Crown Representative who provides regular reports on their Financial Status to the Department of Health and Social Care. Currently these reports indicate that Departments should continue to trade with them as normal and should this situation change then Departments will be notified of any action required.

Prescriptions: Mental Illness

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will undertake a review of the categories of conditions eligible for medical exemption certificates for NHS prescriptions to ensure that there is provision for mental health conditions.

Steve Brine: The Department has no current plans to amend the list of medical conditions that provide exemption from prescription charges, as extensive arrangements are in place to ensure that people can access affordable prescriptions. The Government is considering the recommendations from the ‘Modernising the Mental Health Act: Increasing choice, reducing compulsion’ report, published on 6 December 2018.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase public awareness of the link between alcohol consumption and cancer.

Steve Brine: Public Health England (PHE) and Drinkaware’s ‘Drink Free days’ campaign, launched in September 2018, highlighted the links between alcohol and cancer. The campaign website includes information about alcohol increasing the risk of at least seven types of cancer, with a particular focus on bowel cancer, breast cancer and oral cancer. The Drink Free Days campaign website is available to view at the following link: https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/drink-free-days/ The links between alcohol and cancer are also highlighted in PHE’s One You campaign, available to view at the following link: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/for-your-body/drink-less/

Dental Services: Finance

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Department has had with representatives from the dental industry on reforming the Units of Dental Activity system of funding.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of updating the units of dental activity rates used in dentistry.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the units of dental activity funding system in dentistry on the provision of dental care for families in deprived communities.

Steve Brine: The Government is committed to reforming the current primary care dental contract to better support dentists to deliver care with a strong preventative focus, as well treating active disease. Over 70 high street dental practices are currently testing a new system where dentists follow a preventative focussed clinical pathway and are remunerated through a mix of capitation and a reformed system of units of dental activity (UDAs). Practices are testing two remuneration blends, one of which is over 50% capitation and one which is over 80% capitation. The introduction of capitation and the modification of UDAs is designed to ensure dentists are both incentivised through capitation to provide ongoing care for patients and prevent future disease whist providing any necessary treatment through the modified UDAs. Subject to evaluation this will replace the current 100% activity system. The dental profession is closely engaged in the work to reform the National Health Service dental contract, there are regular discussions with the British Dental Association (BDA) which is also a member of the National Steering Group for contract reform. Alongside this there are discussions with the practices engaged in the current testing, periodic meetings with Local Dental Networks and other groups such as the Association of Dental Groups. The Department has made no specific assessment of any impact on the take up of dental care in deprived communities on the introduction of the current UDA system in 2006. NHS England is responsible for commissioning NHS dental services to meet local assessed needs and patient access to NHS dental services remains high. Improving oral health particularly for deprived children is also a priority for the Department. Alongside contract reform, which will incentivise dentists to spend more time preventing dental disease, NHS England’s Starting Well programme is aiming to reach families with young children who are not already under the care of a dentist.

Social Services: Older People

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment the Government has made of the effect on the provision of adult social care services of projected increases in the elderly population.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department commissions the Personal Social Services Research Unit to produce projections of the demand for long-term care for older people and younger adults in England to 2040 and beyond and associated future expenditure. The projections are based on specific assumptions about trends in such variables as future mortality rates and disability rates, and are updated regularly as new data become available – for example official population projections published by the Office for National Statistics. In doing so, the model explicitly takes account of projected increases in the elderly population. More detail is available in Wittenberg R, Hu B and Hancock R (2018) Projections of demand and expenditure on adult social care 2015 to 2040, Personal Social Services Research Unit discussion paper 2944/2, first published in June 2018 and revised in November 2018. The report is available at the following link: https://www.pssru.ac.uk/publications/pub-5421/

Health Services: South Yorkshire

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to 2018 Budget, how much of the increase in funding allocated to the NHS over the next five years will be allocated to South Yorkshire.

Stephen Hammond: We are providing the National Health Service with additional real terms funding of £20.5 billion by 2023/24 to meet future healthcare needs. The NHS is developing the long-term plan which will set out a vision for the future of the health system and ensure every penny is well spent. Funding breakdowns to local areas are yet to be finalised, but will be published in due course. This Government is committed to providing high quality care to meet the needs of people across England, including those in South Yorkshire.

Mental Health Services: Children

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with  reference to the announcement by the Children's Commissioner's Children's Mental, published November 2018, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of referrals of children with mental health problems being closed before those children entered treatment.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Mental Health Data Set, published by NHS Digital, sets out the number of referrals received by National Health Service specialist children’s mental health services and those that go on to receive treatment. There are many reasons why a referral to NHS children’s mental health services might be rejected – some cases are not appropriate for NHS treatment and there are more appropriate sources of help. Where possible, patients are referred on to other forms of support. However, the Government is also committed to expanding access to specialist services and we are on track to see an additional 70,000 children and young people each year by 2020/21.

NHS

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his oral contribution of 27 November 2018 to the Health and Social Care Committee, Question 127, what the positive impacts are for the NHS of the Withdrawal Agreement.

Stephen Hammond: The Government has agreed the terms of our exit from the European Union, as set out in the Withdrawal Agreement. The Withdrawal Agreement allows us to deliver on the result of the referendum, and means that we will leave the EU in a smooth and orderly way on 29 March 2019. On 18 June, the Prime Minister set out that the National Health Service in England will receive an increase in funding over the next five years that equates to over £20 billion additional real terms funding a year by 2023-24. The Withdrawal Agreement and the Political Declaration lay the foundation for a strong NHS.

NHS: Finance

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the £936 million funding for health facilities announced on 27 November is in addition to the £20.5 billion of funding for the NHS announced on 18 June 2018.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the £936 million in additional funding announced on 7 December 2018 will be allocated to mental health services.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the £936 million in additional funding for health facilities announced on 7 December 2018 will be allocated to mental health services in Liverpool.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the £936 million in additional funding for health facilities announced on 7 December 2018 will be allocated to children and young people's mental health services.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The £963 million capital investment in sustainability and transformation partnerships (STPs) announced on 7 December 2018 is part of £2.9 billion capital funding made available to the National Health Service by the Government from 2017-18 to 2022-23 to modernise facilities and improve patient care. It is separate from the £20.5 billion revenue funding increase for the NHS announced on 18 June 2018. The 75 successful STP schemes announced included 13 mental health/learning disability schemes with a total value of £208 million. This is 22% of the overall £963 million funding made available. One of those 13 schemes is in Liverpool with £6.961 million awarded for child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust for a 12 Bedded Tier 4 unit. This is for a purpose build facility to provide a North West centre of excellence for CAMHS inpatient services, supporting children with the most complex needs in the area. A second CAMHS scheme worth £2.807 million was awarded to Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust for re-provision of current CAMHS Tier 4 inpatient provision at a new site. In total therefore £9.768 million has been awarded for CAMHS facilities. This is in addition to almost £44 million for 10 CAMHS schemes announced in previous rounds. Improving mental health is at the heart of this Government’s agenda and this investment is another step in our ambition to achieve greater parity between physical and mental health care.

Department for International Development

Department for International Development: EU Law

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many in-flight files of EU legislation exist that effect the policy areas managed by her Department; and which in-flight files of EU legislation his Department intends to implement in UK law.

Alistair Burt: After the implementation period, all laws in the UK will be passed by our elected representatives in Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh and London. The Political Declaration recognises that the UK may choose to align with the EU’s rules in relevant areas to facilitate trade in goods or security cooperation. The Official Journal of the European Union publishes upcoming EU legislation for implementation and this is publicly available online: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/oj/direct-access.html.

UN Population Fund: USA

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential implications of the withdrawal of US funding from the UN Population Fund on that agency’s HIV/AIDS prevention work.

Alistair Burt: The UN Population Fund’s (UNFPA) Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) mandate is fundamental to global HIV prevention efforts and we continue to monitor the situation closely.UNFPA remains a key player in enhancing access to male and female condoms for HIV prevention, and are co-convenors of the Global Prevention Coalition which DFID supports, to accelerate action on both biomedical prevention and addressing the wider social drivers of HIV infection.The UK continues to put women and girls at the heart of everything we do. We are the largest donor to UNFPA, and the second largest donor to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria in the current replenishment. Our long-term commitment provides stability as the SRHR landscape changes and evolves.

UN Population Fund

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the total amount of UK funding provided to the UN Population Fund was in each financial year since 2010.

Alistair Burt: The total amount of UK funding to the UN Population Fund since 2010 is detailed in the table below. These figures were taken from ‘Statistics on International Development’ and reflect the calendar years.YearUNFPA UK ODA GBP from SID2010£66,593,834.002011£101,828,450.862012£118,488,227.142013£61,925,500.192014£223,287,512.482015£114,694,141.032016£107,468,706.652017£140,470,545.43

UN Population Fund

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans the Government has to increase its financial contributions to the UN Population Fund in light of the shortfall caused by the withdrawal of US funding from that agency.

Alistair Burt: The UK continues to lead the world in our long-term support for comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). We value the important work of the UN Population Fund, which is why we now give more funding to the agency than any other donor. We judge our level of funding to be right at present, but continue to keep our investments under review. Our long-term commitment to women’s reproductive rights provides stability as the global landscape changes and evolves.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2018 to Question 194657, whether the Memorandum of Understanding between her Department and the Palestinian National Authority was extended beyond 31 March 2016; and if she will place copies of all ministerial correspondence with the Palestinian Authority extending and amending that agreement in the Library.

Alistair Burt: A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) setting out the commitments in the overall development partnership between DFID and the Palestinian Authority (PA) was in effect from July 2011 to March 2016, and was not extended beyond that point. Copies of correspondence relating to the extension of that MoU prior to March 2016 have been laid in the Commons library. Since then, DFID and the PA have signed separate MoUs on an annual basis, specifically linked to the governance arrangements for our programme of financial assistance to the PA.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Ebola

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development,  if he will make representations to his counterpart in the Democratic Republic of Congo on the recent Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government of DRC, with support from the World Health Organisation (WHO), is leading the response to the current Ebola outbreak in extremely challenging circumstances. The UK Government is in regular contact with the DRC Minister of Health, his officials and the WHO to understand how the UK can best support an effective response.

Cameroon: Humanitarian Aid

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the UK Government is taking to tackle the humanitarian situation in Cameroon.

Harriett Baldwin: Today we have announced a £2m contribution to the humanitarian response in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon which will support 10,000 people in hard to reach areas with essential assistance including medical care and non-food items. We are also supporting those displaced because of insecurity both in the far north around Lake Chad and in the neighbouring Central African Republic and are providing £6.55 million in humanitarian support for these needs this year, including for protection, nutrition, health, food security and livelihoods.

Cameroon: Politics and Government

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the UK Government is taking to help support communities in Cameroon affected by the political situation in that country.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK is deeply concerned about the situation in Cameroon and the deteriorating security situation in the Anglophone regions of the country. Today we have announced a £2m contribution to the humanitarian response in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon which will support 10,000 people in hard to reach areas with essential assistance including medical care and non-food items. The UK will continue to work alongside the international community to encourage and support efforts to resolve the Anglophone crisis.

Department for Education

Academies: Finance

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much has been spent on rebrokering academies in each of the last three years.

Nadhim Zahawi: Holding answer received on 10 December 2018



Information on academy transfers (sometimes referred to as ‘rebrokerage’), and the grant funding provided for those during the financial years 2013-14 to 2017-18 is published here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/academy-transfers-and-funding-england-financial-year-2017-to-2018.In the financial year 2017-18, around a half of trust moves were single academy trusts joining multi-academy trusts (MATs). The department is actively encouraging single academy trusts to join MATs and we would expect to see this trend continue.

Grammar Schools: Free School Meals

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) number and (b) proportion of children in those grammar schools that were successful in the first round of the selective school expansion fund are on free school meals.

Nick Gibb: The attached table sets out the number and proportion of children on free school meals in the 16 grammar schools that were successful in the first round of the Selective School Expansion Fund (SSEF).As a minimum requirement of the SSEF, schools were required to give second priority to pupil premium children in their oversubscription criteria. First priority in all schools must go to the admission of looked after and previously looked after children.The Department wants to see more pupils from lower income backgrounds applying to, passing the test for, and being admitted to selective schools. This is why all schools applying to the SSEF were required to commit to taking steps to support these aims. All successful schools set out in their Fair Access and Partnership Plans methods by which they would increase access for disadvantaged children.



198837_Number_Proportion_Grammar_Schools_Successfu
(Excel SpreadSheet, 25 KB)

Schools: Finance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 16 of The Annual Report of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills 2017/18, HC 1707, published on 4 December 2018, what steps he plans to take to close the gap between per pupil funding in secondary schools and further education institutions.

Anne Milton: We are actively exploring the funding and resilience of further education and will be assessing how far existing and forecast funding and regulatory structures enable high quality provision. This work will align closely with the Post-18 Funding Review in particular, to ensure a coherent vision for further and higher education.As with other areas of departmental spending, further education funding from 2020 onwards will be considered as part of the next Spending Review.

Digital Technology: Young People

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps he has taken to support the development of digital skills among young people.

Nick Gibb: The Government has introduced a computing curriculum at all four Key Stages, which aims to ensure that all pupils understand the fundamental principles of computer science, including programming, coding and data representation. The Department has reformed the computer science GCSE and A level so they provide a stronger foundation for further academic and vocational study, and better prepare students for higher education.While entries to these qualifications have increased rapidly since their introduction, they are still too low. That is why a new National Centre for Computing Education has been launched, which is backed by £84 million of investment announced in the 2017 Autumn Budget. The programme will improve the teaching of computing and drive up participation in computer science at GCSE and A level, particularly amongst girls.There are a number of options available to young people for further study, including through digital apprenticeships or, from 2020, one of the digital T levels which are based on employer designed standards and content. In addition, the Government launched the Ada National College for Digital Skills, which opened in 2016 and specialises in higher level training for digital specialisms.

Training: Technology

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the UK workforce can be upskilled or retrained in the event that their profession is adversely affected by the fourth industrial revolution.

Anne Milton: Automation and technological change is expected to have a significant impact on the jobs market over the next 10 to 20 years, bringing new challenges and opportunities. The National Retraining Scheme, which was announced in the Autumn Budget 2017, is an ambitious and far-reaching programme focussed on adult retraining. The scheme will help those who are most at risk and in precarious employment to gain the skills that they need to thrive as the economy changes.

Apprentices: Taxation

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing greater flexibility for apprenticeship levy paying employers by allowing them to transfer levy funds to more than one employer.

Anne Milton: Apprenticeship levy-paying employers can transfer levy funds to as many employers as they wish, provided the total of transfers does not exceed 10% of the total value of levy funds declared in the previous tax year. This will rise to 25% from April 2019.We are monitoring the impact of all aspects of apprenticeship funding policy, including the changes to co-investment rates and the transfer limit announced in the Budget, to make sure that we continue to support employers of all sizes to make a sustainable investment in high-quality skills training.Further information on apprenticeship levy funding rules can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/733034/1819_Employer_Rules_v1.0.pdf.

Disabled Students' Allowances: Visual Impairment

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 16 November 2018 to Question 192091, what recourse is available to students with vision impairment who require support which is not covered by the disabled students' allowance.

Chris Skidmore: The government expects all higher education providers to fulfil their responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for all disabled higher education students, not just those in receipt of Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSAs). DSAs remain available to supplement the reasonable adjustments made by institutions, and for the provision of more specialist support such as a mobility trainer for blind or visually impaired students. Students who wish to dispute their institution's provision of an assessed reasonable adjustment can invoke an exceptional case process under DSA. To date, fewer than 10 students have done so.

Disabled Students' Allowances: Visual Impairment

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2018 to Question 192091, what steps have been taken to ensure that students with visual impairments are (a) aware that they may be eligible for the disabled students' allowance and (b) do not face financial barriers to accessing that allowance.

Chris Skidmore: The Student Loans Company (SLC) provides application forms in braille, and also offers telephone support to those unable to access applications on-line or through hard copy.Information on Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) is available on direct.gov at https://www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowances-dsas. The direct.gov site encourages any student who is unable to apply online to contact the SLC for assistance.The SLC works closely with institutions to promote awareness of DSAs by providing quick guides which can be provided to students at open days and by developing working relationships with universities’ own disability services.All eligible students undertake a Study Needs Assessment, and the SLC pays for the assessor directly from a student’s DSAs general allowance. Students are not expected to pay this cost up-front.

Overseas Students: Immigration

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 14 November 2018 to Question 191270 on Overseas Students: Immigration, what guidelines Student Finance England follows when making a decision on whether a student’s residence in the UK and Islands has been wholly or mainly for the purpose of receiving full time education.

Chris Skidmore: Generally, to meet the eligibility requirements for student support, a student should be resident in England, have ‘settled’ status or a recognised connection with the UK, and have been a resident of the UK and Islands (Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) for the three years prior to the start of the course.Any period of residence in the United Kingdom and Islands wholly or mainly for the purpose of receiving full-time education does not count towards the period of ordinary residence required to qualify for student support. Student Finance England considers applications on a case by case basis, taking into account all information and evidence available.

Further Education: Pay

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of recent changes to pay levels in further education colleges on the ability of such institutions to recruit and retain staff.

Anne Milton: Further education (FE) colleges are independent of government and are responsible for setting the pay and conditions of their staff, commensurate with their local workforce planning needs. We recognise that the FE sector faces cost pressures, which is why we are looking closely at funding to make sure that the system can support the delivery of sustainable, high-quality education. We have also been actively engaging with FE providers and representative bodies to understand the specific challenges and opportunities for FE teacher recruitment and retention, to see if there is more support we can offer. The forthcoming Spending Review will present an opportunity for us to make the case for investment in the sector.

Department of Education: EU Law

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many in-flight files of EU legislation exist that effect the policy areas managed by his Department; and which in-flight files of EU legislation his Department intends to implement in UK law.

Anne Milton: The regulation establishing 'Erasmus', the union programme for education, training, youth and sport 2021-27 will be adopted by the EU during the implementation period but does not take effect until January 2021.There is a range of EU legislation led by other departments that could affect the policy areas managed by the Department for Education. The Official Journal of the European Union publishes upcoming EU legislation for implementation. This is publicly available online: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/oj/direct-access.html.

Social Services: Children

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding local government receives to deliver children’s services.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities have sufficient resources to deliver services to children and families.

Nadhim Zahawi: Funding for local government services, including children’s services, is set initially in the Spending Review. My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has announced that the next Spending Review will be in 2019 and that decisions about the future funding of children’s services will be taken in the round.We are working with the sector both to develop a thorough understanding of children’s services costs and pressures and to help local authorities to innovate and reform services to achieve better quality and efficiency.The government has listened to the sector, which requested additional funding for social care. That is why we have provided flexibility for £410 million in grant funding for social care in the period of 2019 to 2020 to be directed according to what local authorities consider to be their top social care priorities, including children’s social care.In preparation for the Spending Review, and as part of the government’s review of relative needs and resources, new up-to-date formulas are being developed to ensure that funding distribution to councils is based on the best available evidence. The department and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have commissioned an ambitious data research project from independent contractors to inform this work.

Social Services: Children

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information his Department holds on how much local authorities overspent on children’s services last year; and how much additional investment for children’s services was announced in Budget 2018.

Nadhim Zahawi: Local authorities are required under Section 251 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 to submit education and children’s social care budget and expenditure statements. This data is published in statistical releases annually. The most recent release shows a difference of approximately £1 billion in 2017-18 when their planned spend is compared to their actual spend.At Autumn Budget, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an extra £410 million to address pressures on adult and children social care services, along with £84 million over five years to support up to 20 local authorities to improve their social work practice and decision-making, enabling them to work more effectively with the most vulnerable children and their families. This builds on the £200 billion the government has already made available to councils up to 2020 to provide services in the best interests of local residents, including those for children and young people.

Social Services: Children

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the overspend on children’s services in the 2017-18 financial year; and how much additional investment for children’s services was announced in Budget 2018.

Nadhim Zahawi: Local authorities are required under Section 251 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act (2009) to submit education and children’s social care budget and expenditure statements. This data is published in statistical releases annually. The most recent release shows a difference of approximately £1 billion in 2017 to 2018 when their planned spend is compared to their actual spend.At Autumn Budget, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an extra £410 million to address pressures on adult and children social care services, along with £84 million over five years to support up to 20 local authorities to improve their social work practice and decision-making, enabling them to work more effectively with the most vulnerable children and their families. This builds on the £200 billion the government has already made available to councils up to 2020 to provide services in the best interests of local residents, including those for children and young people.

Teachers: Career Development

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with stakeholders on the development of the early careers framework for teachers; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Early Career Framework has been produced by an expert group convened by the Department and made up of teachers, head teachers, academics and sector experts. Numerous other stakeholders have been engaged in the development of the framework, including via sector specific roundtables, bilateral meetings, conferences and public consultation.

Department of Education: Interserve

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the value of his Department's contracts with Interserve.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Education: Interserve

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the financial health of Interserve plc.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Children: Social Services

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the correlation between deprivation and demand for children’s services.

Nadhim Zahawi: Demand for children’s services is associated with a number of factors, including deprivation. The most deprived local authorities (LAs) have more looked after children (per 10,000 17 year olds), and these rates have grown faster than the least deprived LAs.In preparation for the Spending Review, to help ensure decisions are based on the best available evidence, the government is working with the sector to develop a sharper and more granular picture of demand for children’s services.We are also working with Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as part of the Government’s Fair Funding Review of relative needs and resources, where new, up-to-date formulas are being developed to ensure funding distribution to councils is based on the best available evidence.We welcome the contributions from the sector in this area, including Newton Europe’s Making Sense (2018) report and the Association of Directors of Children’s Services' continuing research reports, Safeguarding Pressures (2018).

Schools: Food

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress his Department has made on testing delivery models for the healthy schools rating scheme; and when he plans to conclude the testing phase of the scheme.

Nadhim Zahawi: We remain committed to delivering the healthy schools rating scheme in a way that makes the most of existing resources available to schools. We are preparing our scheme based on testing and stakeholder feedback, and will continue to work with stakeholders across government, the food sector and charitable organisations. We will share more information shortly.

Pre-school Education: Standards

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the early years attainment gap over the last ten years.

Nadhim Zahawi: The ‘Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) results 2017-2018’ include time series data on attainment gaps for pupil characteristics - including eligibility for free school meals (FSM), special educational needs and disabilities and ethnicity - for the period 2013 to 2018. (EYFSP 2018 additional tables by pupil characteristics – Table 1: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/759345/EYFSP2018_additional_tables.xlsx).Since 2013, the gap between the percentage of children eligible for FSM achieving a good level of development and their peers has narrowed by 1.7 percentage points.EYFSP data for 2008 to 2012 can be found online, however since the EYFSP was revised for academic year 2012-13, any data prior to this is not comparable.

Teachers: Training

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much money from the public purse his Department has allocated to marketing for the (a) early years initial (b) primary and (c) secondary teacher training courses.

Nick Gibb: The marketing budget allocated for recruitment to post-graduate initial teacher training for the financial year 2018-19 is £16,671,000. A budget breakdown between primary and secondary recruitment is not held centrally. There is no budget allocated for the financial year 2018-19 for marketing the separate early years teaching entry routes. The marketing campaign for teacher training directs people to visit the Get Into Teaching site here:https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/.On this website, they can find out more about training for early years, primary and secondary teaching.

Teachers: Pay

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what is the average salary is for an early years teacher working in the private, voluntary and independent sector.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information requested is not held centrally. Employers in the early years sector are responsible for setting the pay and conditions for their employees, including early years teachers, within the statutory requirements set by government (for example, national minimum wage).

Teachers: Pay

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what is the average salary was of an early years teacher in the (a) private, voluntary and independent and (b) public sector.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information requested is not held centrally. Employers in the early years sector are responsible for setting the pay and conditions for their employees, including early years teachers, within the statutory requirements set by government (for example, national minimum wage). Teachers who hold qualified teacher status and work in maintained schools are entitled to school teachers’ pay and conditions. School teachers’ pay and conditions can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-teachers-pay-and-conditions.

Interserve

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had with Interserve on the viability of existing apprenticeship training following their refinancing talks.

Anne Milton: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Interserve

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions (a) he and (b) the Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills has had with the Institute for Apprenticeships on the viability of existing apprenticeship training at Interserve following their refinancing talks.

Anne Milton: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Interserve

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what contingency plans his Department has to protect apprentices in the event of the collapse of Interserve.

Anne Milton: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

T-levels

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many UCAS points a T Level is planned to be worth.

Anne Milton: T levels are designed primarily to prepare students for skilled employment. T levels will also be open to all students that have the prerequisite knowledge and skills to go to university to do relevant technical degrees. To reflect their size and complexity, T levels will receive UCAS tariff points in line with the points awarded for three A levels. We are working with UCAS to agree the specific points for each T level grade and plan to confirm the allocation of points to grades in 2019.

Universities: Admissions

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with university groups on whether they will accept T Levels as part of their admissions policies.

Anne Milton: Officials in my department are currently having discussions with UCAS, are visiting Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and meeting with representative groups to build awareness and recognition of T levels so that they are able to make informed decisions about the inclusion of T levels within their admission policies.

Interserve

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many apprentices are currently receiving training from Interserve Learning and Employment.

Anne Milton: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Standards

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the announcement entitled, Minister announces 10 Prisons Project to develop new model of excellence, published on 17 August 2017, how much funding his Department has allocated to that project in each month since that announcement.

Rory Stewart: The 10 Prison Project was launched by Rory Stewart on 17 August 2018 with the aim of reducing violence and drugs in the prisons within a year. The Department allocated £10m budget in total at the start of the project across the 10 prisons. This is in line with the aims to reduce the supply and demand of drugs (£6m), improve decency (£3m) and enhance leadership and staff capability (£1m). The table below shows the current monthly budget allocated under this project. Current budget allocations for Ten Prisons ProjectMonthAllocated BudgetSeptember 2018£400,000October 2018£1,000,000November 2018£1,900,000December 2018£1,700,000January 2019£1,500,000February 2019£1,500,000March 2019£2,000,000Total£10,000,000

Ministry of Justice: EU Law

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many in-flight files of EU legislation exist that effect the policy areas managed by his Department; and which in-flight files of EU legislation his Department intends to implement in UK law.

Lucy Frazer: During the time-limited implementation period, EU law will continue to apply in the UK subject to the terms set out in the Withdrawal Agreement. The MOJ currently has two in-flight files being managed within the department which may require implementation during any agreed Implementation Period. This is without prejudice to other live files currently in-flight in the EU over which the UK may seek a post-adoption opt-in. The Official Journal of the European Union publishes upcoming EU legislation for implementation. This is publicly available online: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/oj/direct-access.html .

Coroners: Bradford

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the policy is of the Bradford coroner on the use of digital scans to establish cause of death rather than tradition post-mortems; and how many times such scans have been used in (a) 2017 and (b) 2018 to date.

Edward Argar: The use of digital scans to establish cause of death is a matter for individual coroners who decide how to proceed in light of guidance from the Chief Coroner. The guidance can be found on his website at:www.judiciary.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/guidance-no-1-use-of-port-mortem-imaging.pdfThe figures for the number of post mortems held in 2017 which involved less invasive techniques are available at:www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/706047/coroners-statistics-2017-csvs.zip.Bradford is in the West Yorkshire (western) coroner area, in which 267 less-invasive post mortems were conducted in 2017.Annual coroner statistics are collected at the end of the year. Statistics for 2018 will be published in May 2019.

Legal Aid Scheme: Children

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many children were granted legal aid under exceptional case funding each (a) year and (b) quarter since 2010.

Lucy Frazer: This question could only be answered at disproportionate cost.

Legal Aid Scheme: Young People

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many young adults were granted legal aid under exceptional case funding each (a) year and (b) quarter since 2010.

Lucy Frazer: This question could only be answered at disproportionate cost.

Legal Aid Scheme

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of applications for exceptional case funding were granted legal aid in every year since 2010.

Lucy Frazer: Prior to 2013, when a case fell outside the usual remit of Community Legal Service funding, an individual could make an application to the Legal Services Commission for exceptional funding under s6(8) of the Access to Justice Act 1999. These cases included disputes, inquests and tribunal hearings. Depending on the type of case, funding could either be granted by the LSC, or by Ministers. The figures below reflect the percentage of cases granted exceptional funding under the provisions of the Access to Justice Act 1999, based on the date they were received by the LSC. Please note these figures have been extracted from raw data held on an operational database, which like any operational database, may contain errors. The data is not maintained to the standard of Official Statistics and has not been subject to any validation methods, and therefore should be interpreted as such. Financial YearApplications ReceivedGrant Rate2010/1118144%2011/1216159%2012/13*18344% *includes applications received in April 2013 under transitionary provisions.  The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) superseded the Access to Justice Act 1999 in April 2013 and introduced a new Exceptional Case Funding (ECF) scheme to provide funding where a lack of representation would otherwise risk a breach of an individual’s EU or Convention rights. Information for this scheme is shown below:  Financial YearQuarterApplications ReceivedApplications DeterminedGrantedProportion of determined applications granted2013-14Apr-Jun27227273% Jul-Sep472472133% Oct-Dec403403256% Jan-Mar369369277%2014-15Apr-Jun2702703814% Jul-Sep2992995017% Oct-Dec2802807326% Jan-Mar3233237022%2015-16Apr-Jun34834813238% Jul-Sep29829814348% Oct-Dec30830817657% Jan-Mar (r)39139121755%2016-17Apr-Jun42242222453% Jul-Sep48048022246% Oct-Dec44344325758% Jan-Mar53453429255%2017-18Apr-Jun53653630457% Jul-Sep (r)63763634855% Oct-Dec (r)70970839456% Jan-Mar (r)74374043559%2018-19Apr-Jun (p)76572046364%

Young Offenders: Suicide

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the number of suicides in (a) young offenders institutes and (b) juvenile wings of prisons in 2017.

Rory Stewart: All establishments holding young offenders (either “young adults”, who are aged 18-21, or “young people”, who are aged 15 to 17) are designated as young offender institutions. In 2017 there were three self-inflicted deaths of young adults, and no self-inflicted deaths of young people. There are no ‘juvenile wings of prisons’, as any site with a population that includes both adults and young people is designated as both a prison and a young offender institution. The only such establishment in the estate at this time is HMP/YOI Parc, where there were no self-inflicted deaths of young people (or of adults) in 2017. The safety and welfare of every young person in custody is our priority. That is why we are already investing in more front-line staff and building on our reforms to youth custody. We are expanding front-line staff capacity in public-sector YOIs by 20%, equating to over 120 new recruits. Since the creation of our youth justice reform programme last year, inspection reports have highlighted improvements in all the under-18 sites they have inspected, and we continue to drive forward these vital reforms so that we have safer, more rehabilitative young offender institutions.

Ministry of Justice: Recruitment

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recruitment process his Department followed when appointing its Data Protection Officer (DPO); how that position was advertised; how many candidates applied for that post; what criteria were used to assess the candidates' (i) professional qualities and expert knowledge of data protection law and practices and (ii) ability to fulfil the tasks referred to in Article 39 of the General Data Protection Regulation; who was appointed as DPO for his Department; when and where his Department has published its DPO's contact details; and what lines of reporting exist within his Department in respect of its DPO.

Edward Argar: The role of the Data Protection Officer in the Department is at present filled on an interim basis, pending substantive recruitment in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation’s Article 39. The interim role holder previously worked as the Department’s Head of Data Privacy and is a qualified Data Protection Practioner. In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation’s Articles 37 to 39, the Data Protection Officer reports directly to the highest level of management within the Department, including the Permanent Secretary. The role itself sits within the Department’s Digital and Technology function. Published details as to how to contact the Data Protection Officer are available on the GOV.UK website through the Personal Information Charter page.

Open Prisons: Conditions of Employment

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the set number of profiled hours for the keyworker system is in each open prison; and if he will make a statement.

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the target number of keyworkers is for each prison establishment to enable it to deliver the keyworker system.

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the target date is for each prison to have a full complement of keyworkers in place to deliver the keyworker system.

Rory Stewart: There are no current plans to implement key work in the open estate. Open prisons focus on the testing and reintegration of prisoners back into their communities with increased opportunities for temporary release (on licence) to undertake work, training and engage with services in their communities as well as their families and significant others. The introduction of key worker activity will be undertaken by Band 3 Prison Officers. As all residential officers will be key workers, there are no ‘target numbers’. Each officer will be looking after a case load of around six individuals. They will meet regularly (on average 45 minutes per prisoner, per week) and provide supportive challenge to prisoners, to motivate them to use their time in custody to best effect. The introduction of the key worker element of the model is being managed centrally, to allow for recruitment and training to be coordinated at a national level. Roll-out is under way with 72 prisons who have commenced delivery of key work and 18 being fully rolled out at the end of October 2018. The project to manage the implementation of the new model, both key work and case management, is now in its final phase (Implementation and evaluation). It is due to conclude in December 2019.

Prisons: Coroners

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2018 to Question 185683 on Coroners: Legal Representation, how many cases his Department provided funding for legal representation for prisons and probation staff at inquests on deaths in prison in each of the last five years.

Rory Stewart: All deaths in custody are subject to an inquest, regardless of the apparent cause of death. The table below gives the numbers of inquests opened in each year for which the MoJ funded representation. 20131842014235201523320163062017236These figures are based on the year in which proceedings were opened, not the year in which the offender died, so some of the inquests opened in 2013 will relate to deaths from earlier years. In addition, the table excludes any proceedings that were already under way in January 2013; and some of the inquests opened in 2017 will not have been concluded in that year. As noted in the Answer to Question 185683, spending in any given year is not related to the number of deaths in that year. Similarly, spending is not directly related to the number of inquests opened in a given year, since some of it will relate to inquests opened in previous years and the costs will vary from case to case.

Prisons: Staff

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the oral evidence of 26 June 2018 by the Minister of State of his Department to the Justice Committee on Prison Population 2022: planning for the future, Question 81, what the target number of key workers is for each prison establishment to enable each of those establishments to deliver the key worker system.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the oral evidence of 26 June 2018 by the Minister of State of his Department to the Justice Committee on Prison Population 2022: planning for the future, Question 81, when HM Prison and Probation Service plans to complete the roll-out of the key worker scheme.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the oral evidence of 26 June 2018 by the Minister of State of his Department to the Justice Committee on Prison Population 2022: planning for the future, Question 81, whether key worker contact for at least 45 minutes a week is the target throughout the (a) female, (b) young offender and (c) open prison estate.

Rory Stewart: The introduction of key worker activity will be undertaken by Band 3 Prison Officers. As all residential officers will be key workers, there are no ‘target numbers’. Each officer will be looking after a case load of around six individuals. In the closed male estate, including young offender institutions, key workers will meet regularly (on average 45 minutes per prisoner, per week) and provide supportive challenge to prisoners, to motivate them to use their time in custody to best effect. The introduction of the key worker element of the model is being managed centrally, to allow for recruitment and training to be coordinated at a national level. Roll-out is under way with 72 prisons who have commenced delivery of key work and 18 being fully rolled out at the end of October 2018. The project to manage the implementation of the new model, both key work and case management, is now in its final phase. It is due to conclude in December 2019. A version of the new model has been developed for the women’s estate. It takes in to account the specific needs of women in custody with a much stronger link between complexity of need and the resources applied to each case. There are no current plans to implement key work in the open estate. Open prisons focus on the testing and reintegration of prisoners back into their communities with increased opportunities for temporary release (on licence) to undertake work, training and engage with services in their communities as well as their families and significant others.

Prisons: Contracts

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the contractual expiry date is for each private sector contracted prison.

Rory Stewart: The table below lists the expiry dates of the contracts for each Private Sector Prison.PrisonExpiry Date of ContractHMP Altcourse (PFI)31/05/2023HMP Ashfield (PFI)31/10/2024HMP Birmingham30/09/2026HMP Bronzefield (PFI)16/06/2029HMP Doncaster30/09/2026HMP Dovegate (PFI)08/07/2026HMP Lowdham Grange (PFI)15/02/2023HMP Northumberland01/12/2028HMP Oakwood23/04/2027HMP Peterborough (PFI)13/02/2028HMP Rye Hill (PFI)20/01/2026HMP Thameside (PFI)31/12/2036HMP/YOI Forest Bank (PFI)19/02/2025HMP/YOI Parc (PFI)14/12/2022 PFI = Private Finance Initiative Contract

Prisons: Staff

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2012 to Question 124033 on Prison Service: Staff, if he will provide updated figures for each year since 2013.

Rory Stewart: Information on the number of prison officers serving in each establishment within public sector prisons, young offender institutions and Medway Secure Training Centre on 31 March each year since 2013, and the most recent date available, are given in Table 1. Information on the number of equivalent staff in private sector operated prisons is not available in the same format as there is no contractual requirement for this information to be provided. Information on the reported number of funded posts in each establishment on 1 January each year are given in Table 2.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 26.95 KB)

Fraud

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the commitments that the Government made at the London Anti-Corruption Summit 2016, when he plans to launch a consultation on introducing a criminal offence of failing to prevent economic crime.

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department plans publish a response to his Department's publication entitled, Corporate liability for economic crime: call for evidence, published on 13 January 2018.

Lucy Frazer: The Call for Evidence on Corporate Criminal Liability for Economic Crime contained a number of different options for reform, including a proposal to extend the failure to prevent offence to wider economic crimes other than bribery or tax evasion. The Government’s response is expected to issue in 2019.

Department for International Trade

Exports: Lambeth

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many (a) small, (b) medium and (c) large businesses in Lambeth have licences to export outside the EU.

George Hollingbery: The information is not held in the format requested and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Local Government: Standards

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of reintroducing a standards board for local councils.

Rishi Sunak: We abolished the Standards Board regime as it was a top down, centralist regime which had unfortunately become a vehicle for petty, malicious and politically motivated complaints. In its place the Localism Act 2011 created a robust framework for local authority standards arrangements. This requires local authorities to promote and maintain high standards of conduct and adopt a code that is consistent with the seven ‘Nolan’ Principles.The Government is awaiting early in the New Year the publication of the Committee on Standards in Public Life’s Review of Local Government Ethical Standards. The Government will consider the CSPL report carefully, and we will publish our response in due course.

Local Government Finance

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the total number of local authorities that have seen an overall loss in their reserves between 2010 and 2018.

Rishi Sunak: Local authorities provide reserves figures in their annual revenue expenditure returns to the Ministry. These can be found in the first individual local authority data table for each of the budget and outturn collections at www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Staff

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many staff of his Department have (a) left his Department and (b) been seconded from his Department to work for the Building Research Establishment in each of the last five years .

Jake Berry: The Department is unable to confirm the number of staff that have left permanently and subsequently joined the Building Research Establishment, as this information is not held.   We can confirm that the Department has not seconded any staff from this organisation to work for the Building Research Establishment during the last five years.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Staff

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many staff of his Department have previously been employed by the Building Research Establishment.

Jake Berry: We are unable to confirm the number of staff, if any, currently working for the Department who have a previous period of employment with the Building Research Establishment, as this information is not held.

Poverty

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) officials of his Department have had meetings with the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights to discuss poverty in the UK.

Jake Berry: Officials from my Department met the UN Special Rapporteur, took the opportunity to share our work with him and are considering his findings. Ministers did not meet the Special Rapporteur during his recent trip to the UK.Details of ministerial and senior official (Permanent Secretary) meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis, and are available on GOV.UK.

Leasehold: Ground Rent

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that developers remove onerous ground rent clauses in leasehold contracts.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government is clear that unfair leasehold practices have no place in the housing market. We are committed to improving the leasehold system by making it fairer and more transparent.It is right that developers who sold leaseholds with onerous terms should support their customers to amend such lease terms. Some developers have introduced assistance schemes which is welcome. The Government is engaging with industry to urge them to take proactive steps to vary leases for those with onerous ground rent clauses.We have launched a consultation looking at the reform to the leasehold system, which closed on 26 November, which sets out our proposals for banning new leasehold houses and restricting ground rents to a peppercorn. We are currently analysing responses and will publish the Government consultation response in due course. We are working with the Law Commission to make buying a freehold or extending a lease easier, quicker and cheaper.In July the Secretary of State announced that no new government funding scheme will be used to support the unjustified use of leasehold for new houses.We are helping existing leaseholders by: making it easier for leaseholders to form Recognised Tenants' Associations so they can hold the management of their block to account; set up a Working Group, chaired by Lord Best, to look at how property agents can be improved, including a single, mandatory Code of Practice for managing agents and whether any fees should be capped or banned; and published a 'How to Lease' guide for consumers.

Ministry of Defence

Russia: INF Treaty

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his oral contribution of 26 November 2018, Official Report, column 6, what steps he is taking to urge Russia to comply with its obligations under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

Gavin Williamson: We have consistently, along with NATO Allies, supported US efforts to bring Russia back to compliance, including at the NATO Summit in July, the NATO-Russia Council in October and most recently following the meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers on 4 December.The US has given Russia a final opportunity to return to compliance and respect its Treaty obligations. The onus is now on Russia to act responsibly. We will continue to work with our international partners to put pressure on Russia to comply.

Defence Science and Technology Laboratory: Surveys

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to publish the results of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory People Survey 2018.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Dstl participates in the annual Civil Service People Survey. Results relating to Dstl were published internally, on the week of 4 December 2018.Dstl's People Survey Results for 2018 will be published on Gov.UK during December.

Australia: Military Alliances

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the implications for the Royal Navy of the Joint Guidance for the RAN-RN Relationship signed by the First Sea Lord and Chief of the Royal Australian Navy on 28 November 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: The Joint Guidance, signed by the First Sea Lord and the Chief of the Royal Australian Navy, will increase dialogue and information sharing, particularly in the field of Anti-Submarine Warfare. This will promote interoperability and further our nations' shared values.

Armed Forces: Death

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 28 November 2018 to Question 194225, whether Queen's Regulation J975 is compatible with the lack of a mandatory requirement to hold a fatal accident inquiry for a military death in Scotland prior to the Inquiries into Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths etc. (Scotland) Act 2016.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Yes.

Ministry of Defence: Institute for Statecraft

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department (a) leases (b) provides in kind any (i) office space and (ii) other resources to the Institute for Statecraft.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence has no centrally-held record of any provision of office space to the Institute for Statecraft.In Financial Years 2016-17 and 2017-18, the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust's Local Grants Programme awarded a total of £177,650 to 12 separate small projects run by the Shared Outcomes Programme, an initiative of the Institute for Statecraft which works with young people (aged 14 - 18) from minority communities in areas facing economic and social challenge and aims to increase participants' life opportunities and support them in fulfilling their potential. The Shared Outcomes projects enable young people to take part in challenging activities such as assault courses, night navigation exercises and camping while visiting an Army base, and other activities designed to improve community cohesion. In addition, in 2017 the Army made a single payment of £6,800 to the Institute for Statecraft for specialist training.

Saudi Arabia: Joint Exercises

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what joint military exercises the UK armed forces plan to undertake with Saudi Arabia.

Mark Lancaster: UK Armed Forces have two exercises planned with Saudi Arabia: a Royal Navy Passage Exercise between 3-7 February 2019 and the Army will conduct a table-top planning exercise (Exercise DESERT SOLDIER) from 29 March-14 April 2019.

Global Navigation Satellite Systems: Finance

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2018 to Question 198212 on Global Navigation Satellite Systems: Costs, what funds his Department has allocated to the proposed Global Navigation Satellite System.

Stuart Andrew: £92 million has been allocated from the Treasury EU Exit fund to the Engineering, Design and Development Phase for a UK Global Navigation Satellite System, which is currently under way. The UK Space Agency is leading the work with the full support of the Ministry of Defence.

Saudi Arabia: Joint Exercises

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many RAF personnel took part in the Green Flag Exercise with the Royal Saudi Air Force; for what reason that exercise took place; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: Exercise Saudi British Green Flag is a regular training event, designed to demonstrate the UK's commitment to regional security and is an opportunity to show how the UK and Saudi Arabia can work together if required. The latest iteration involved 208 RAF personnel.

Armed Forces: Radiation Exposure

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on data that was gathered from blood samples taken from servicemen (a) before, (b) during and (c) after their service at the UK nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence is unable to locate any information that suggests that Atomic Weapons Research Establishment staff took blood samples for radiological monitoring at the tests. Service personnel who were present may have had blood samples taken during their career, but these individual military medical records are not held centrally.

Armed Forces: Radiation Exposure

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on the information on the possibility of genetic damage that was given to participants in the UK nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s (a) before, (b) during and (c) after their service.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is unable to locate any information regarding whether any advice was given to participants of the UK nuclear tests regarding the possibility of genetic damage.The MOD does hold documents which confirm that regulations were in place to ensure that protection and safety information was given by the officer responsible to all personnel involved in each task. This included subjects such as basic training in nuclear weapon effects and health physics for all ranks, personal protection and issue and use of protective clothing and dosemeters and training in radiological safety.

Christmas Island: Radiation Exposure

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) documents and (b) photographs his Department holds on the flight of a Canberra B6 aircraft with the number 980 at Christmas Island on 30 April 1958.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) documents and (b) photographs the Atomic Weapons Establishment holds on the flight of a Canberra B6 aircraft with the number 980 at Christmas Island on 30 April 1958.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Neither the Ministry of Defence (MOD) or the Atomic Weapons Establishment hold any information regarding a flight of Canberra WH 980 on 30 April 1958.The MOD has reviewed the 76 Sqn RAF Operational Record Book which contains the detailed list of all flights undertaken by 76 Sqn at Operation Grapple Y. This document shows flights by Canberra WH 980 on 1, 3, 5, 16, 18, 22, 25 and 28 April 1958, but does not include any reference to a flight on 30 April 1958. The 76 Sqn RAF Operational Record Book is publicly available at the National Archives.

Type 31 Frigates: Equipment

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 10 December 2018 on the Type 31e Frigate, HCWS1161, whether he has made an estimate of the value of government furnished equipment for the Type 31e frigate programme.

Stuart Andrew: There is an estimated baseline value of Government Furnished Equipment for the Type 31e Frigate programme, but it would be prejudicial to the commercial interests of the Ministry of Defence to disclose that estimate at this stage.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what funding the Government has allocated for transitional payments for people moving onto universal credit; and by what process claimants will receive such payments.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 12 November 2018



We recently laid the draft Universal Credit (Managed Migration) Regulations 2018 in Parliament. These will introduce a transitional payment to those eligible claimants who were in receipt of the Severe Disability Premium whilst on an existing benefit and who have already moved to Universal Credit. As announced in the 2018 Autumn Budget, the income related elements of Employment and Support Allowance and Jobseeker’s Allowance, and Income Support will continue for two weeks after a claim for Universal Credit has been made from July 2020. Claimants will therefore receive one two week run-on payment when being migrated to Universal Credit. Both of these measures are subject to parliamentary approval. These payments are in addition to the 2 week run-on of Housing Benefit, which we introduced in April 2018. The Government has also committed to ensuring that claimants who are moved onto Universal Credit as part of the managed migration process see no decrease in their benefit entitlement, providing their circumstances remain the same. The Government will be spending over £3bn on transitional protection over the next 10 years to ensure that claimants who are migrated onto Universal Credit as part of the managed migration process do not experience a financial loss at the point of transition. Transitional protection will be calculated based on the claimant’s circumstances on the last day of their entitlement to existing benefits. To do this we will make a comparison between the total amount of all relevant existing benefits to which the claimant was entitled at this point and the total amount of Universal Credit to which the claimant would be entitled as calculated based on the same set of circumstances. If the entitlement to the existing benefits is the greater amount then the difference will be awarded as a Transitional Element. When awarded, this Transitional Element will be taken into account with any other applicable Elements to determine a claimant’s Universal Credit award in each Assessment Period.

Universal Credit

Emma Dent Coad: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the effect of delaying managed migration of existing social security claimants to universal credit on the cost to the public purse of universal credit transitional protection; and whether those estimates constitute a saving to the public purse.

Alok Sharma: It is not possible to disaggregate the spending impact of delaying managed migration. HM Treasury did publish an overall spending impact of the budget changes, which can be accessed at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/752208/Budget_2018_policy_costings_PDF.pdf.

Universal Credit

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect of universal credit being paid into a single bank account on the (a) independence of women and (b) balance of power in their relationships.

Alok Sharma: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to Question 139032 on 2 May 2018. Additionally, research carried out for the Department suggests that only 2 per cent of married couples and 7 per cent of cohabiting couples keep their finances completely separate, so payments into a single bank account for couples fit with how the majority of couples organise their lives.

Universal Credit: Appeals

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that the appeal process works effectively across the full-service universal credit process.

Alok Sharma: While DWP does not administer appeals, this is the responsibility of HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), DWP is initially responsible for ensuring all requests for an appeal are considered. For example, having the original decision reconsidered by a different Decision Maker (a Mandatory Reconsideration). Should the claimant subsequently appeal, on receipt of that appeal from HMCTS, DWP are responsible for checking the decision is correct in law, and considering any further information and evidence provided with the appeal. If the decision remains correct, and cannot be revised after considering any further information provided, DWP prepare an appeal response for HMCTS. DWP works closely with HMCTS to review the outcome of appeal hearings and whether any internal improvements are necessary. Combined with Universal Credit Full Service internal assurance activities, this supports ongoing improvements with feedback provided to colleagues responsible for the end-to-end customer journey.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Faisal Rashid: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of mandatory reconsiderations for personal independence payments have (a) overturned and (b) upheld the original assessment decision in each year for which information is available.

Sarah Newton: Table 7B of the publication “Personal Independence Payment: April 2013 to October 2018” provides statistics on Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) clearances by type and month of clearance, a copy of which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-april-2013-to-october-2018 Not all MRs will relate to the outcome of the PIP assessment, but other aspects of the PIP process.

Pensioners: Poverty

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the welfare system in helping to alleviate levels of pensioner poverty.

Guy Opperman: We have reduced pensioner poverty close to historically low levels, lifting the incomes of millions of older people. Since 2009/10, material deprivation for pensioners has fallen from 10 per cent to 7 per cent in 2016/17 and since 2010 there are 200,000 fewer pensioners in absolute poverty, a record low.The Government is committed to action that helps to alleviate levels of pensioner poverty. In 2018/19 we will spend £121.5 billion on benefits for pensioners, including £97 billion on the State Pension for this year.

Universal Credit: Slough

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 November 2018 to Question 195084 on Universal Credit: Slough, if he will publish that information for claimants of benefits by nationality at the point of National Insurance number registration.

Alok Sharma: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to Question 196901 on 3 December 2018.

Universal Credit

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate the Government has made of the number of people at risk of experiencing rising debt as a result of the six week transitory wait from legacy to universal credit.

Alok Sharma: I refer the hon. Member to my answer the response to Question 197443 on 4 December 2018.

Carer's Allowance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2018 to Question 191917 on Carer's Allowance, whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of (a) pensioners and (b) students in full-time education who have taken on significant caring responsibilities.

Sarah Newton: The data that the Department uses with regards to informal carers is from the Family Resources Survey. The latest Family Resources Survey data is for 2016/17. This report and the carers data tables can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-resources-survey-financial-year-201617 There were an estimated 5.4 million informal carers in the United Kingdom in 2016/17 available on “Table 5.1: Percentage of people providing informal care by gender, 2006/07 to 2016/17, United Kingdom”. 10 per cent of people aged 65+ reported providing informal care. Further age splits are available on “Table 5.2: Percentage of people providing informal care by age and gender, 2016/17, United Kingdom”.The FRS data on people providing informal care is self-reported by FRS respondents.This data is for all informal carers aged 65+, we have not made an assumption regarding what constitutes ‘significant’ caring responsibilities. On “Table 5.4: Adult informal carers by employment status and gender, 2016/17, United Kingdom”, 1 per cent of all adult informal carers are classed as being a student, by their employment status.The FRS data on people providing informal care is self-reported by FRS respondents.This data is for all adult informal carers, we have not made an assumption regarding what constitutes ‘significant’ caring responsibilities.This data is not specifically for students in full-time education and may include students on sandwich courses. 2 per cent of all adults are classed as being students. The FRS uses the International Labour Organisation (ILO) definition of employment status and defines a student as a subcategory of Economically Inactive. By ILO definition, a full-time student that works more than an hour a week would be classed as employed.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2018 to Question 191918 on  Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations, which external organisations her Department plans to work collaboratively with.

Alok Sharma: The Department plans to work with a large and diverse group of stakeholder organisations to ensure the widest possible range of insights are fed into the design. This group will evolve over time as we work with different stakeholders at different stages in the process.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Statutory Instruments

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many statutory instruments under (a) affirmative and (b) negative procedure his Department plans to lay before March 2019; which countries those instruments apply to; and on what date his Department plans to lay those instruments.

George Eustice: Since presenting a consolidated secondary legislation programme in October, and as of 7 December, Defra has laid, in draft, a total of 70 statutory instruments (SIs). This is in addition to five SIs related to leaving the EU laid in July and September. Defra plans to lay a further 71 statutory instruments before the end of March 2019. These are comprised of 58 SIs related to leaving the EU, of which 12 are on behalf of Northern Ireland, and 13 SIs not related to leaving the EU. 19 of these are planned to be laid in December, 29 in January, 13 in February and 10 in March, but these may be subject to change. Of these: The attached Table 1 provides a breakdown of the 71 SIs by parliamentary procedure and application. Table 2 provides a breakdown by laying application and laying period.



Table 1 and 2
(Word Document, 25.94 KB)

Trees

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to progress a tree assurance scheme overseen by his Department.

George Eustice: Assurance schemes are of vital importance for garden centres, nurseries and gardeners in ensuring a biosecure purchase. We recognise the importance of partnership working on this issue as we are keen for the nursery sector to demonstrate leadership in driving up biosecurity standards and encouraging more responsible sourcing of trees and timber. Defra has encouraged and invested in voluntary-led initiatives such as the ‘UK Sourced and Grown’ nursery assurance scheme from the Woodland Trust and the now separate UK Grown in Britain scheme. Defra is also supporting the Plant Health Assurance Standard being developed by the Horticultural Trades Association, which aims to drive up biosecurity standards.

Nitrogen Oxides: Pollution Control

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the target for the reduction of nitrogen dioxide pollutants in the air for 2019 is.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: There are two statutory limits for nitrogen dioxide pollutants, an hourly mean limit value of 200 micrograms per metre cubed (μg) and an annual mean limit value of 40 μg. There are no specific targets for 2019.

Hunting Act 2004: Convictions

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, many convictions have been secured under the 2004 Hunting Act in each year since 2010.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The number of convictions under the Hunting Act 2004 in England and Wales, from 2010 to 2017, can be viewed in the table below. This information was provided by the Ministry of Justice.   The number of convictions under the Hunting Act 2004 in England and Wales from 2010 to 2017(1)(2) 201020112012201320142015201620173656485635453122 Notes: (1) The figures given in the table relate to defendants for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.(2) Includes males, females, persons where sex "Not Stated" and other offenders, i.e. companies, public bodies, etc.

Home Office

Asylum

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to extend the grace period refugees are afforded before eligibility for support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 is ended after asylum is granted.

Caroline Nokes: Whilst there are currently no plans to extend the period, the Government is working on a number of important initiatives to ensure that refugees are able to access benefits and housing promptly once their Home Office support ends, taking into account the views of the key voluntary sector groups that work with the refugees.

Home Office: EU Law

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many in-flight files of EU legislation exist that effect the policy areas managed by his Department; and which in-flight files of EU legislation his Department intends to implement in UK law.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office is participating in ongoing negotiations on 25 EU legislative files. Of those, the UK will only be bound by 9 files as a result of the UK’s ability to not opt in or opt out under the UK’s JHA and Schengen Protocols respectively. Until the UK leaves the EU, and during the proposed Implementation Period, the UK is required to give effect to these measures, once agreed by the EU.

Arts: Visas

Mr Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of a freelance visa for the creative industries.

Caroline Nokes: We are taking account of the needs and interests of the creative sector and others in our future immigration system, details of which will be published in our forthcoming White Paper. We are looking to ​develop​ ​a system​ ​that​ ​works​ ​for​ ​all sectors.

Home Office: Written Questions

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2018 to Question 196129 on Overseas Visitors: Visas, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of providing a substantive answer to that question.

Caroline Nokes: As advised in my answer to Question 198741, the government publishes the threshold which would need to be crossed in order for a written question to be responded to with a disproportionate cost response.This is currently set at £850. Whilst we are not able to provide the exact amount it would cost to answer your question in full, we estimate it would be over this amount as it would require a manual search of a large number of individual records.

Home Office: Written Questions

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2018 to Question 196130 on Overseas Visitors: Visas, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of providing a substantive answer to that question.

Caroline Nokes: As advised in my answer to Question 198741, the government publishes the threshold which would need to be crossed in order for a written question to be responded to with a disproportionate cost response.This is currently set at £850. Whilst we are not able to provide the exact amount it would cost to answer your question in full, we estimate it would be over this amount as it would require a manual search of a large number of individual records.

Migrant Workers: Databases

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times employers have used his Department's employer checking service to check an employee’s or potential employee’s immigration status in each year since that service was introduced.

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding the Government has spent on promoting awareness of the employer checking service among employers in each year since that service was created.

Caroline Nokes: The Employer Checking Service has received and processed the following right to work checks from employers since April 2012.2012/13: 55, 9782013/14: 54, 7012014/15: 68, 1652015/16: 68, 4092016/17: 94, 2472017/18: 95, 554April to December 2018: 43,825This information is provisional internal management information and subject to change. The Employer Checking Service has been in place since 2008. Prior to 2012, local records and information were held on the checks processed and not recorded on a central system.In relation to how much funding the government has spent on promoting awareness of the Employer Checking Service, the information requested is not available in the format requested and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Immigrants: EU Nationals

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 22 November 2018 to Question 192832, whether people who do not apply for pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme will maintain the same rights once the UK has left the EU.

Caroline Nokes: We have agreed with the European Union (EU) that there will be no change to the current rights of EU citizens and their family members living in the UK until the end of the planned implementation period on 31 December 2020. The deadline for applications to the EU Settlement Scheme by those who are resident here by the end of 2020 will be 30 June 2021. Where someone misses the deadline for their application for a good reason, they will be given a reasonable further period in which to apply.If an application is not made by the deadline and a UK immigration status not obtained, the individual will not be protected by the Withdrawal Agreement and will be subject to the requirements of the future immigration system.

Church Commissioners

Christians against Poverty

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Right Honourable Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of contributions to churches helping run Christians Against Poverty Centres in the 2018-19 financial year.

Dame Caroline Spelman: Christians Against Poverty (CAP) is a charity independent of the Church of England. CAP run over 1,000 debt advice centres across the country supporting individuals and families in need. The work of CAP has recently been evaluated by the LSE and its report concluded that the benefit of CAP's work to society was over £31.5million per year, in return for an annual expenditure of £8.7 million. More information about the report can be found here: https://capuk.org/connect/policy-and-government/never-just-a-number The parishes of the Church of England often partner with organisations such as Christians Against Poverty to provide a range of services to support their local communities. The Church of England recently surveyed its parishes and discovered that 80% of congregations are involved in one or more forms of social action. Data gathered from 13,000 churches shows that the biggest area of work is in food banks - with 60%, or nearly 8,000 churches - involved in either running or supporting food banks through volunteers, donations and providing venues.

Cabinet Office

Brexit: Legal Opinion

Frank Field: To ask the Cabinet Office, whether all members of the Government who attend Cabinet meetings have had access to the legal opinion on the Withdrawal Agreement.

Mr David Lidington: On 5 December, the Government published the Attorney General’s advice to Cabinet on the legal effect of the Withdrawal Agreement. This is the final advice, in full, that the Attorney General provided to all members of the Cabinet on 14 November. Cabinet Ministers have had all the necessary materials to take informed collective decisions on the UK’s withdrawal from, and future relationship with, the EU.

Cybercrime

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the proportion of global phishing attacks that target the UK.

Mr David Lidington: The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) was established in October 2016 as the UK’s technical authority on cyber security matters. It is not possible to monitor all of the phishing attacks on the UK. The NCSC’s Active Cyber Defence programme has removed 138,398 unique phishing sites hosted in the UK in the last 12 months and the UK share of visible global phishing attacks dropped from 5.3% (June 2016) to 2.4% (July 2018).

Civil Servants: Surveys

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November to Question 192117, if he will publish the Civil Service Benchmark Scores; Whitehall 18 Trends; and All Organisation Scores for the engagement index, engagement drivers, and 62 attitudinal questions from the Civil Service People Survey 2018 results before 20 December 2018.

Mr David Lidington: As answered in Question 192117, the Government will be publishing Civil Service Benchmark Scores; Whitehall 18 Trends; and All Organisation Scores for the engagement index, engagement drivers, and 62 attitudinal questions shortly.

Migrant Workers: EU Nationals

Deidre Brock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate he has made of the number of non-UK EU citizens working in health and social care in the UK.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA response 
(PDF Document, 130.88 KB)

Students: Suicide

Jo Stevens: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the number of suicides among students of further and higher education in the 2017-18 academic year.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply



UKSA Response
(PDF Document, 141.41 KB)

Suicide

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of suicides in England and Wales in (a) 2015, (b) 2016, (c) 2017 and (d) 2018.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA response 
(PDF Document, 138.28 KB)

Treasury

Office for Professional Body Anti-money Laundering Supervision

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Office for Professional Body Anti-Money Laundering Supervision in improving standards in the financial sector.

John Glen: The Office for Professional Body Anti-Money Laundering Supervision (OPBAS) became operational in January 2018. OPBAS is part of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and supervises 22 professional body anti-money laundering (AML) supervisors which oversee the legal and accountancy sectors, as listed in the Money Laundering Regulations 2017. Neither OPBAS, nor the professional body AML supervisors (PBSs) supervise AML activities in the financial sector, which is instead supervised by the FCA. Fighting financial crime is a key priority for the FCA. OPBAS’s key objectives are to reduce the harm of money laundering and terrorist financing by:ensuring a robust and consistently high standard of supervision by the PBSs overseeing the legal and accountancy sectors;facilitating collaboration, and information and intelligence sharing between PBSs, statutory supervisors, and law enforcement agencies.The recent Financial Action Task Force (FATF) review of the UK’s AML regime recommended that the UK should closely monitor the impact of OPBAS in undertaking its work. By the end of 2018, OPBAS will have completed its initial supervisory assessments of all PBSs. The Government will continue to work closely with OPBAS to ensure that its plans and activities are effective and risk-based.

Tax Avoidance

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of people who will be affected by the new 2019 loan charge (a) in total and (b) who are public sector workers.

Mel Stride: The charge on disguised remuneration (DR) loans is targeted at artificial tax avoidance schemes where earnings were paid via a third party in the form of ‘loans’. These loans were paid in place of ordinary remuneration, with the sole purpose of avoiding income tax and National Insurance contributions. In reality these loans were never repaid. When taking into account the loan they received, loan scheme users have on average twice as much income as the average UK taxpayer. The Government estimates that up to 50,000 individuals will be affected by the 2019 loan charge. HMRC has published a breakdown of individuals affected by industry. HMRC data indicates that fewer than 3% of those affected work in medical services (doctors and nurses) and teaching. No estimate of the number of individuals affected within the public sector overall is available. Further information can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/loan-schemes-and-the-loan-charge-an-overview/tax-avoidance-loan-schemes-and-the-loan-charge#who-affected HMRC has simplified the process for those who choose to settle their use of avoidance schemes before the charge arises, so that those earning less than £50,000 a year and no longer engaging in tax avoidance can agree a payment plan of up to five years without the need for detailed supporting information. There is no maximum period within which an overall settlement can be agreed, and HMRC will deal with individual cases appropriately and sympathetically.

Global Navigation Satellite Systems: Costs

Nia Griffith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2018 to Question 198212 on Global Navigation Satellite Systems: Costs, which Departmental budget will provide the cost of the proposed Global Navigation Satellite System.

Elizabeth Truss: In August, following the European Commission’s decision to exclude the UK from the development of Galileo’s encrypted system, the Prime Minister committed £92 million to establish a taskforce of Government specialists and industry to develop alternative options that will provide both civilian and encrypted signals. This engineering study is due to report in 2019-20 and will inform the decision of whether the UK pursues a sovereign Global Navigation Satellite System. Funding for new major programmes will be a matter for the forthcoming Spending Review.

Financial Services: Regulation

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the oral contribution of 6 December 2018, Official Report, column 1091, if he will publish the enhanced equivalence arrangements for regulating financial services between the UK and the EU.

John Glen: I refer the Rt Hon Gentleman to my answer to him on 29 November in response to written question 195459. Further detail building on the agreement in the political declaration will be set out by the UK and EU as part of negotiations on the future relationship.

Public Expenditure: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the financial package agreed by the Government, Transport for London and the Mayor of London for additional funding to support Crossrail will result in Barnett consequentials for Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government, the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) announced on 10 December 2018 a financing package to deliver the final stages of the Crossrail project and open the Elizabeth line to passengers. The Department for Transport will provide a loan of up to £1.3 billion to the Greater London Authority (GLA). The GLA intend to repay this loan via London’s Business Rate Supplement (BRS) and from the Mayoral Community Infrastructure Levy (MCIL). As the Government is providing a loan to the GLA, this is being treated as a long-term reprofiling of DfT’s budget. The Devolved Administrations (DAs) have been offered Barnett consequentials of the DfT reprofile and it is up to individual DAs if they take up this offer.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Lotteries

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Gambling Commission’s Review of society lotteries advice, published in June 2018, (a) what assessment he has made of the conclusion that there was no statistically significant effect of society lotteries affecting National Lottery sales on his proposal to allow an increase in the amount that a large society lottery can raise per year and (b) if he will bring in legislation to reform society lottery sector to support fundraising for charitable causes.

Mims Davies: The Gambling Commission published its advice to government alongside the government’s consultation on society lotteries reform. The advice reported that to date, society lotteries have not had a statistically significant effect on National Lottery sales. The consultation presented the Government’s preferred options and sought views on legislative options to reform the society lottery sector. The consultation closed on 7 September and we received over 1,600 responses. I am now carefully considering all of the views and evidence. I hope to formally respond in the first half of next year.

Gambling: Marketing

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to prevent gambling companies from using user data to target marketing to (a) underage and (b) problem gamblers.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing restrictions on the use of cartoons and animated figures in gambling advertising campaigns to ensure that they are not targeted at young people.

Mims Davies: Strict rules already ensure gambling adverts are not targeted at, or appeal to, children, or exploit the vulnerable, and these apply across all media, including online and on social media. Gambling operators are required to comply with the advertising codes of practice issued by the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP). These are enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). In addition to rules covering children, the advertising codes have specific provisions to protect vulnerable people, and CAP’s new guidance in February further restricted adverts that create an inappropriate sense of urgency or give an irresponsible perception of risk or control. Gambling adverts must not feature content that risks appealing to children, for example cartoon animals. Last year the Gambling Commission and ASA acted quickly to make clear that operators using such images were in breach of advertising rules and must remove the material or face enforcement action. In addition to rules on content, the ASA has made clear that operators advertising online must use data on customers’ interests to target marketing campaigns away from children. The government considered gambling advertising as part of our Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures and set out a package of initiatives to strengthen protections further, including further CAP guidance on protecting children and young people, and tougher Gambling Commission sanctions for breaches of the advertising codes, including fines.

Public Libraries: Children

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure the safeguarding of children in unstaffed libraries.

Michael Ellis: The Department encourages local authorities to consider a range of approaches to support and enhance the delivery of their library services, such as making appropriate use of available technology. A number of library services are using technology to enable access for library users to library buildings outside staffed hours on a self service basis. The systems often include controlled access technology involving CCTV and communication systems. Good practice guidance, from the Libraries Taskforce, encourages library services to undertake a risk assessment before implementing such a service and also advises that it is important that staffed hours meet the requirements of children and young adults who wish to visit the library unaccompanied. In managing the safeguarding of children, library services that use these systems do not allow children under a specified age to access the library at unstaffed times unless accompanied by an adult.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to protect youth volunteering charities from financial difficulty; when his Department became aware of the financial difficulties facing vInspired; whether his Department is aware of other regional providers of the National Citizen Service who are in similar financial difficulties; and what estimate his Department has made of the number of young people affected by the closure of vInspired.

Mims Davies: DCMS invests in youth organisations in a number of ways including the National Citizen Service and the Youth Investment and #iwill Funds in partnership with Big Lottery Fund. Independent charities are responsible for managing their own funding through various mechanisms including donations, trading and investment; and are accountable for their own financial solvency. vInspired informed DCMS officials that they were in financial difficulties and expected to shortly commence insolvency procedures in November 2018. vInspired Education are responsible for delivering the NCS programme in the North East, however this is a separate legal entity to vInspired. We are not aware of any regional providers of NCS who are in financial difficulties. The Department has assessed that there is no impact to young people on the NCS programme in the North East, and we do not currently hold an estimate of the number of young people who may be affected by other services vInspired provided.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: EU


 Law

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many in-flight files of EU legislation exist that affect the policy areas managed by his Department; and which pieces of in-flight files of EU legislation his Department intends to implement in UK law.

Margot James: During the time-limited implementation period, EU law will continue to apply in the UK subject to the terms set out in the Withdrawal Agreement. After the implementation period, all laws in the UK will be passed by our elected representatives in Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh and London. The Political Declaration recognises that the UK may choose to align with the EU’s rules in relevant areas to facilitate trade in goods or security cooperation. In the unlikely event that the backstop were to come into effect, a small fraction of EU rules applying today would apply in Northern Ireland and EU rules on state aid would apply in the UK. However, as the Withdrawal Agreement and the Political Declaration make absolutely clear, we do not want or expect the backstop to be needed - and even if it ever were ever to come into effect, it would be strictly temporary. The Official Journal of the European Union publishes upcoming EU legislation for implementation. This is publicly available online: This is publicly available online: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/oj/direct-access.html

Charity Commission: Finance

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the future funding needs of the Charity Commission; and if he will make a statement.

Mims Davies: As the regulator of charities in England and Wales, the Charity Commission performs an important service on behalf of the public. The Commission has set out a new strategic direction and outlined what it believes is necessary to meet its purpose of ensuring charity can thrive and inspire trust so people can improve lives and strengthen society. In January 2018, government awarded the Charity Commission an additional £5 million a year and, in the Civil Society Strategy, committed to work with the Commission to ensure it is placed on a secure and sustainable financial footing and adequately resourced to meet future challenges.

Music: Education

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent support he has given to music conservatoires.

Margot James: The Arts Council England (ACE) invests substantially in supporting the music education landscape. The Arts Council’s £75m investment in music education hubs reflects the government’s belief that all students should have access to an excellent, well-rounded education which includes the arts and music. ACE has also recently provided funding to Leeds College of Music for a festival of cutting edge music, sound art and visual installations; and the Royal Northern College of Music for the 2018 RNCM Brass Band Festival. In particular, ACE supports the orchestral sector’s engagement with conservatoires by working with Conservatoires UK to encourage collaboration between conservatories and the ACE National Youth Music Organisations, National Portfolio Organisations and Music Education Hubs.

Writers

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the ability of UK writers to travel to the EU for (a) writing trips, (b) residencies and (c) poetry performances after the UK has left the EU; and what assessment he has made of the ability of UK writers to undertake such activities in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Michael Ellis: We have a long history of collaborating with European partners through multilateral and bilateral initiatives across education, civil society, sport and our creative and cultural industries. We want a positive future relationship that reflects our shared values and history, and will support the growth of culture, arts, sports and creative industries, in both the UK and the EU. This government recognises the importance of mobility and the Political Declaration contains a specific reference to the importance of mobility in enabling cooperation in the cultural and education sectors. In the unlikely event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal, we welcome the EU Commission’s proposal to grant UK citizens visa-free travel (for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period) to the EU after the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union.

Writers

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the reciprocal relationships the UK has with the EU that enable UK authors to claim public lending right payments when their books are borrowed in other EU countries.

Michael Ellis: A number of EU Member States operate their own public lending rights schemes which enable payments to be made to eligible rights holders for the lending of their work. However, these are not directly reciprocal to the UK’s Public Lending Right (PLR) Scheme, and decisions on whether UK-resident authors qualify for these will be for each Member State to make. The Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS), which represents UK authors in registering and claiming payments from lending rights schemes in Europe and elsewhere, has indicated that it supports the UK's PLR scheme remaining open to residents of EEA states. ALCS believes that this will help it to encourage relevant organisations responsible for lending rights schemes in EEA states to allow UK-resident authors to benefit from such schemes after the UK leaves the EU.

O2

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect on the UK economy of the O2 data failure of 6 December 2018.

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to reduce incidences of data outages by mobile phone companies.

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the economic effect of mobile data outages on the UK economy in each of the last three years.

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the public services affected by the data outage experienced by O2 customers on 6 December 2018 are planned to receive compensation for the disruption to service.

Margot James: We work closely with the telecoms sector on matters of resilience and security through the industry led Electronic Communications Resilience and Response Group. Furthermore, the Communication Act 2003 (section 105A) requires telecoms operators to have appropriate measures in place to manage risks to the security (covering confidentiality, integrity and availability) of networks and services. Telecoms operators are also required to notify Ofcom of security and resilience issues (including service outages) which have a ‘significant impact on the operation of a network or service’ (section 105B Communications Act 2003). Ofcom reports annually on the number and scale of security incidents, including impacts (ie numbers of customers affected) through their Connected Nations report. Compensation arrangements linked to a service incident are a matter for the company but Ofcom will be discussing the company’s plans with them.

Artificial Intelligence

Eddie Hughes: What steps his Department is taking to ensure that the UK remains a world leader in the field of artificial intelligence.

Margot James: The UK is a world leader in AI and this government is committed to retaining this position. Our AI and Data Grand Challenge is a major collaboration with industry and academia to this end. It includes up to £0.95bn Sector Deal package with industry that will strengthen the UK’s position as a global AI leader. We are establishing an AI Council, an expert committee, to provide high-level leadership on implementing the AI Sector Deal. We are also working with partners including the Turing Institute and UKRI to encourage retention and attract new, diverse talent from abroad.

Cultural Relations

Jeremy Lefroy: What steps his Department is taking to promote cultural diplomacy.

Sir Nicholas Soames: What steps he is taking to co-ordinate cultural diplomacy across Departments.

Michael Ellis: I refer the Hon Member to my response during Topical questions today in the Chamber.

Loneliness

John Howell: What steps his Department is taking to help tackle loneliness.

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle loneliness.

Mims Davies: We recently published our strategy for tackling loneliness. This set out a raft of cross-government measures to take the first steps in tackling loneliness and takes forward recommendations from the Jo Cox Commission. DCMS specifically is providing up to £1.8million to increase the number of community spaces available. This follows the announcement this summer of more than £20million of new funding for projects that bring people and communities together. With the Office of National Statistics, the department has developed the ‘loneliness measure’ (to enable consistent analysis and build the evidence base), and will be piloting better use of open data around facilities and accessibility with local government. The department is launching an awareness campaign and including loneliness in internet safety.

Gambling

Paul Blomfield: What steps he is taking to reduce gambling-related harm.

Danielle Rowley: What steps he is taking to reduce gambling-related harm.

Jessica Morden: What steps he is taking to reduce gambling-related harm.

Mims Davies: The government published the Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures in May. This set out measures to strengthen protections around gaming machines, including cutting the maximum stake on B2 machines from £100 to £2, and on online gambling and gambling advertising. It also set out action on treatment and support for those who experience harm, including initiatives to improve the evidence on treatment needs and effectiveness, expand access to existing services and strengthen the voluntary system for funding support. We take gambling-related harm very seriously and will work closely across Government and with the Gambling Commission to build on the actions outlined in the Review.

House of Commons Commission

House of Commons: Recruitment

Layla Moran: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, how much the House of Commons spent on (a) headhunters and (b) recruitment agencies in each year since 2009.

Tom Brake: Holding answer received on 29 November 2018



Information related to the amount spent on headhunters is only available from 1 April 2014. The following amounts have been paid:2014 (from April) £62,5692015 £65,3852016 £46,5062017 £44,1752018 (to October) £164,637 Information related to the amount spent on recruitment agencies is only available from April 2015. The following amounts have been paid: 2015 (From April) £37,7952016 £110,8512017 £88,5032018 (to October) £273,913 For both groups, the increases in 2018 largely relate to the Restoration & Renewal programme.

House of Commons Chamber: Fire Prevention

Nia Griffith: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, the last occasion on which a fire evacuation drill was conducted in the Chamber of the House of Commons; and whether he plans to conduct such a drill in future.

Tom Brake: Holding answer received on 07 December 2018



Fire evacuation drills of the parliamentary estate are planned on an annual basis and the Chamber of the House of Commons was included as part of the last evacuation drill of the Palace of Westminster as a whole on 21 May 2018. Dates and time of fire evacuation drills are subject to change only for essential House business or security considerations.

House of Commons: Food

John Spellar: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to his oral contribution answer of 29 November 2018, Official Report, column 403, what practical problems prevent the implementation of a buy British policy.

Tom Brake: Holding answer received on 07 December 2018



We acknowledge that there may be an expectation that the House of Commons should be buying British wherever possible, but as a contracting authority as specified in the European Parliament and Council Directive, we are subject to EU Public Sector Procurement directives. It is therefore impossible for us to demand that we wish to buy only British products simply on the merits of origin and must instead ensure that our specifications at tender stage, and ultimately our decision to award a contract, does not discriminate against products or supplies from other EU member states.The vast majority of fresh products purchased by Catering are in fact British – meat, poultry, dairy, eggs and most fruit and vegetables (when in season) are sourced from within the UK. We demand that UK or equivalent standards of welfare and/or production must be met as this is a consideration of quality rather than origin. UK standards on the whole are easy to follow, robust, commonly accepted and enforced across each sector.

Attorney General

Criminal Proceedings: Disclosure of Information

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Attorney General, what steps he is taking to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of disclosure in the criminal justice system.

Robert Buckland: The Attorney General’s review of the disclosure system, published last month, sets out practical recommendations and a clear plan of action which will hold the leaders of the criminal justice system to account for delivering in their respective areas.I am encouraged that the leaders of the police and prosecution now fully understand the need for change. Together we will make sure that public confidence in the disclosure system is restored.

Women and Equalities

Females: Hate Crime

Dawn Butler: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on using the national curriculum to tackle misogyny.

Victoria Atkins: The Government wants to support all young people to be happy, healthy and safe. That is why we are making Relationships Education compulsory in primary schools, and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) compulsory in all secondary schools.High quality teaching of these subjects will help children understand positive relationships, how to value difference and respect for others, and the law on abuse and harassment in an age appropriate way. The consultation on the draft regulations and guidance closed on 7 November. The Department for Education is analysing responses and expect to publish a response in the New Year.The Government Equalities Office continue to support this agenda, and has recently funded Phase 1 of the Law Commission review of online abuse law, to ensure women are sufficiently protected from online misogyny.Both the Minister for Women and Equalities and the Secretary of State for Education are committed to ensuring that both girls and boys can achieve their potential in life, and met recently to discuss women’s economic empowerment in the education sector.

Political Parties: Equality

Dawn Butler: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what representations she has had from civil society organisations on bringing Section 106 of the Equality Act 2010 into force.

Victoria Atkins: Further to my answer of 13 November to my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Loughborough, I have received a number of representations regarding section 106, including from civil society organisations.We continue to keep uncommenced provisions of the Equality Act 2010 under review. Equality is never a one-time fix and it is right that we should keep re-examining the issues.This Parliament is the most gender and LGBT diverse ever, but there is still more to do. Political parties are responsible for their candidate selection and should lead the way in improving women’s representation. Many are already doing so.The Government’s Suffrage Centenary Fund is supporting a number of projects that aim to increase women’s participation in politics, and earlier this year we announced funding for disabled candidates to meet the costs of campaigning, primarily for the forthcoming English local elections in 2019.

Menopause: Flexible Working

Dawn Butler: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to encourage employers to offer flexible working arrangements to women going through the menopause.

Victoria Atkins: We commissioned an evidence review into the menopause in 2017, which highlighted the important role employers can play in helping women to work during this phase of their lives. We have worked in partnership with the Women’s Business Council to develop and publish a Toolkit for employers: Staying On: The Age of Success. This promotes flexible working alongside other solutions to support and retain women in the workplace who are going through the menopause.

Candidates: Disability

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the launch of the EnAble Fund for Elected Office, what support her Department is providing to help disabled candidates standing for parliamentary elections.

Victoria Atkins: The Government believes that political parties have the prime responsibility for supporting their disabled candidates. We are undertaking a programme of work with disability stakeholders to help political parties to better support disabled candidates.Alongside this work we have launched the EnAble Fund for Elected Office which is a £250,000 interim fund to support disabled candidates, primarily for the forthcoming local elections in May 2019.The fund will help cover disability-related expenses people might face when seeking elected office which could include items such as British Sign Language Interpreters, Assistive Technology or taxi fares where other modes of transport are not appropriate.